Contemporary Connections with the Plight of Sor Juana de la Cruz

I enjoyed reading your blogs on early Latino literature and your passionate responses to the film, I, the Worst of All. Most of you were shocked at the sexism in the film, never having experienced this in your own lives. A few of you dug a bit deeper into family history and found that there was, in the recent past, some prohibition against women preachers in your churches.

One thing no one mentioned is the systematic discrimination against women in many parts of the Islamic world today. Islam is not inherently a sexist religion, any more than Christianity is, but religions are interpreted by human beings and human institutions. During times when people seek to reinforce hierarchies and consolidate power, sexist hierarchies also tend to be reinforced.

Image from Surghar Daily.



For instance, in areas where the Taliban is active, women are highly repressed today. In Afghanistan, women a generation ago were educated and served as doctors and professors. According to a book entitled My Forbidden Face, written by a woman who escaped from Afghanistan, under the Taliban women were not allowed to see male doctors, and no female doctors were allowed to practice, thereby leaving women devoid of medical care. Inside closed walled, women who were no longer allowed to participate in society, practice their careers, or be educated formed circles of support for each other. However, in war-torn parts of the world where family honor is invested in the purity of its females, rape is often used as a weapon and the woman is disowned by her family as "tainted." Because of this ideology, women are treated as property and isolated and rejected--sometimes even killed-- by the families who should protect them and support them. Women in such communities who are raped and are able to hide the fact dare not ask for help or treatment for fear of
their lives.

Those of us who have never experienced sexism have lived in social settings created by people who have worked hard to eradicate it. However, I sometimes feel that we take for granted the strides for women's equality made in the past century, even the past 30 years. Machismo is an ideology prevalent in Latino culture, but it is certainly not the only culture in which forms of male dominance are practiced.

We will find in Latino literature many examples of strong women, and many of the writers are female. However, let's stay aware of gender dynamics, as well as the interlocking systems of oppression that tend to reinforce each other. Portrayals of such systems can serve as windows and mirrors, as well as reminders that people who experience oppression often internalize it, thereby limiting their own potential.

I wonder whether part of Sor Juana's breakdown at the end of the film was caused by her having gradually internalized the negative critiques that surrounded her, particularly as they were mirrored back to her by her confessor. He appears to care about her "soul" as an abstract thing--but not about her as a human being. As long as Sor Juana had people around her who could mirror back to her the positive aspects of her gifts, she was able to fend off these negative images. But once those mirrors are gone, she looks only into the negative reflections of those around her.

Internalized racism, sexism, ageism, etc. can be carried in the very people who are subject to these prejudices because identity is social. Thus as we continue to read Latino literature, we should also look for the ways in which identity is constructed--both positively and negatively--in the social situations it portrays.

Humility is a virtue, but I do not believe that humility caused by cruel and unusual treatment, bordering on psychological abuse, is redemptive. Whether or not it is true to life, the film portrays an abuse of power on the part of the archbishop, as well as the men who must stay in his favor or risk their own reputations. I did not see much humility displayed by any of these characters.

Let's not overlook the good that the Catholic Church has done in Latin America, where for decades many Catholics have been actively involved in helping the poor and the oppressed. Recently a group of Catholic priests signed a document in solidarity with immigrants from Mexico to the United States.