Mestiza Rhetoric Essay

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The Daughters and Violets of Anáhuac: How History, Politics, Feminism and Credibility Helped Shape Mestiza Rhetoric In the late 18th century, two publications gave rise to Mestiza rhetoric. However, the publications differed in terms of success. For this paper, our definition of success is based on the span of time the journals were in publication, critical reviews of the journals, and reach of audience. In these terms, the second publication, Violetas de Anahuac, was more successful than the first, Hijas De Anahuac. This paper will analyze the historical, political/feminist context surrounding both publications, and the rhetorical strategies used to gain credibility. This will be done to demonstrate why and how these factors aided in the success of Violetas De Anahuac. What Mestiza rhetoric is, and the way it is communicated, could only develop successfully through the convergence of these variables. This merging of factors (historical, political, feminism) created conditions which optimized the acceptance of Mestiza rhetoric. Along with this, the role of Mestiza rhetoric in relation to the factors of success will be elucidated. What is Mestiza rhetoric? Mestiza rhetoric is a term used to describe a duality of identities which exist within a text. The term Mestizo is most common in Latin America, and is used to describe people of mixed European and Amerindian (indigenous) origin. Gloria Anzaldua, author of Toward a Mestiza Rhetoric, articulates that the Mestizo women not only “sustain contradictions, she turns the ambivalence into something else.” Damián Baca, contributor to On the Rhetoric, elaborates on Anzaldua’s “something else”, stating the rhetoric “creates a symbolic space beyond the mere coming together of two halves.” The “something else,” and the “two halves” Anzaldua and Baca refer to, is a situated indigenous national Mexican identity,
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