Friday, February 4, 2011

A Day in the Life of a Subversive Hispanist

We, Hispanists, are a scary, subversive bunch. We might look quite innocuous with our books, class plans, and dictionaries, but do not let that peaceful exterior fool you: we are a threat to society. The only way to combat our pernicious influence on the minds of young, impressionable students is to ban us from campuses altogether.

This is how this particular Hispanist spent her day: Before classes began at 9:30 am, I worked on creating an oral exam for my students in the Intermediate Spanish course. I want to include a short Argentinean cartoon on Mafalda, which is funny but also useful in that it contains precisely the kind of vocabulary and grammar structures that we have been covering in class. Then, I taught a class on Lazarillo de Tormes, which is a text that students never fail to enjoy. It was a great class, we laughed, we analyzed our favorite passages, students asked questions. Even though some of the students find it hard to express themselves as well as they would like (especially about a difficult XVIth century text like this one), they still try because the texts we read seem to excite them. At the end of the class, I promised that next time we would watch a short documentary on Cervantes, which the students are very eager to do.

After that I had my office hours during which I talked to a disabled student and discussed the options we have available to make his progress in the course as comfortable as possible. Then, we wrote a composition in my Intermediate language course. I think I finally managed to find a very successful topic for a composition at this level because for the first time in my experience of teaching the course students didn't try to finish as early as they could and rush out. 

After I taught my classes, I went over Stephen Gilman's book on Galdos and discovered that, contrary to what I'd expected, my reading of this writer is not that different from Gilman's. Then I went to the library and looked up a few more critical sources for my research project. After I got home and had dinner, I stayed in bed reading Eduardo Mendicutti's brilliant and hilarious novel Una mala noche la tiene cualquiera that a colleague (yet another subversive Hispanist) suggested to me. The book contains a great number of delicious colloquial expressions in Spanish, many of which I didn't know. So I made a list of them and devised a plan as to how I will introduce some of these expressions to my students in a fun and productive way.

This was the end of my subversive Hispanist activities for the day. Tomorrow, however, I have a completely new agenda of scary activist stuff that needs to be done (a departmental meeting, grading of student homework, preparing classes for next week, finishing my article on a XIXth century Spanish novel, etc.) Tremble with fear, people, for here I come!

The reason why I wanted to confess to my subversive Hispanist activities in a public forum is that the cat is finally out of the bag on our pernicious presence on American campuses. The enlightened and intelligent state of Arizona was the first one in the country to follow the example of the Soviet Union in repressing the field of Hispanic Studies. This is what Professor Cintli Rodriguez of Arizona who keeps getting arrested for protesting this law has to say:
Four students and myself were just sentenced to 10 hours of community service for a crime we did not commit. More importantly, our act of civil disobedience was in response to an illegal, immoral and unconstitutional law: hb 2281 – a piece of legislation that makes the teaching of Ethnic Studies in Arizona illegal. . .  As far as many of us are concerned, the battle over hb 2281 has just begun; the teaching of ethnic studies became illegal on Dec 31 and MAS was ruled out of compliance on Jan 3. We are not only convinced of its illegality, but we are certain of it because of the unambiguous actions of the state legislature. The same day the president came to Tucson, a new Republican-introduced bill (SRC 1010) calls for Arizona to be exempt from international law. As written, it will go to the voters in 2012. The thing is, this issue has already been litigated in U.S. courts. But since when has that stopped our 19th century state legislature? It is also not out of the realm of possibility that a case(s) will be taken to the Organization of American States or the United Nations. What’s at stake here is not simply the right of 11 teachers to teach, but rather, the right of all peoples (students) to education, history and culture. In Arizona, everything has been flipped upside down. Things Greek-Roman are deemed to be American and part of Western Civilization, whereas things Indigenous (MAS-TUSD Indigenous-maiz-based curriculum) are deemed to be un-American and alien. That’s why many of us were arrested. In one sense, it’s a 42-year struggle; the same battle – one over legitimacy – that’s been waged since the creation of Ethnic Studies. At another level, it’s a 518-year clash of civilizations, even though it needn’t be (the civilizations can absolutely co-exist). 
 Professor Cintli Rodriguez is, of course, right. Civilizations can, indeed, coexist. They actually become stronger, more vibrant, they flourish a lot better as a result of coexistence, contact, mutual penetration. I am absolutely convinced that my students today have gained a lot from our classes, our discussions, and our readings. How can it possibly be a good idea to place a ban on what I do? And please don't tell me that there has been a bad, racist, unintelligent Hispanist here and there so the whole discipline is suspect. There are quack doctors who damage their patients' health irreparably. Are we going to ban the entire practice of medicine as a result? 

9 comments:

Pagan Topologist said...

But, Clarissa, the practice of medicine is already banned in this country. "Physicians" are forbidden to be anything except marketers for drug companies, as I understand it.

Izgad said...

But Classics are an even more subversive field considering that it gave us Marx, Nietzsche and Leo Strauss.

I guess I should thank you Hispanists. You will attract the attention of the government away from medieval messianists, until we are ready to strike. :p

Tom Carter said...

Clarissa, you're overreacting again and misconstruing the Arizona law, as is Professor Rodriquez. From the text of H.B. 2281:

15-112. Prohibited courses and classes; enforcement
A. A SCHOOL DISTRICT OR CHARTER SCHOOL IN THIS STATE SHALL NOT INCLUDE IN ITS PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTION ANY COURSES OR CLASSES THAT INCLUDE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
1. PROMOTE THE OVERTHROW OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.
2. PROMOTE RESENTMENT TOWARD A RACE OR CLASS OF PEOPLE.
3. ARE DESIGNED PRIMARILY FOR PUPILS OF A PARTICULAR ETHNIC GROUP.
4. ADVOCATE ETHNIC SOLIDARITY INSTEAD OF THE TREATMENT OF PUPILS AS INDIVIDUALS.

If a school is found to be in violation, the state may withhold up to 10 percent of state aid for that school district or charter school.

What part of the law do you actually disagree with? It doesn't make ethnic studies classes illegal any more than it does shop classes, assuming they don't violate the law.

Many of the things Rodriguez says are wrong. One is the fact that he may think a law is unconstitutional is meaningless until a court has ruled it so. He also seems to forget that an important part of civil disobedience is accepting the consequences. He should do less whining and more thinking. I wonder if this is a reflection of the kind of teacher he is....

There are undoubtedly ninnyhammers out there (in Arizona and everywhere else) on both sides of the question who are wrong. Everyone would benefit from learning the facts before they opine.

Clarissa said...

I'm very surprised, Tom, that you of all people would defend a government's right to define how a certain discipline should be taught. Would you be as much in favor of a governmental law determining how biology, computer programming or mathematics should be taught?

As to you vision of this bill as NOT outlawing Hispanic Studies, I cannot believe that you are serious about this. Isn't it obvious that from now on any bureaucrat would be able to state that any course in the discipline promotes "ethnic solidarity over individuality" which is so vague that it can neither be proved or disproved?

I don't understand how it is possible for you to support the "nanny state" in this specific case to such an extent.

Canukistani said...

The new state school superintendent also now has vowed to eliminate Ethnic Studies at the University level” - Roberto Dr. Cintli Rodriguez Dec 18, 2010

I like to sleuth. Sherlock Holmes had his three pipe problem and I have my three glasses of wine problem. I belong to the Hunter S. Thompson school of Journalism. I write on the computer while imbibing a mind altering substance (wine). Although I started off lucid my text becomes progressively more random and in need of peer review. My mantra is what would HST do?

Why are the folks in Arizona so anti-Hispanic studies?
HB 2281: A SCHOOL DISTRICT OR CHARTER SCHOOL IN THIS STATE SHALL NOT INCLUDE IN ITS PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTION ANY COURSES OR CLASSES THAT INCLUDE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
1. PROMOTE THE OVERTHROW OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.
2. PROMOTE RESENTMENT TOWARD A RACE OR CLASS OF PEOPLE.
3. ARE DESIGNED PRIMARILY FOR PUPILS OF A PARTICULAR ETHNIC GROUP.
4. ADVOCATE ETHNIC SOLIDARITY INSTEAD OF THE TREATMENT OF PUPILS AS INDIVIDUALS.

“In my opinion this effort to refuse our students access to the customs of a key segment of our community comes down to the attempted alienation and disenfranchisement of an entire cross section of our population, in the hopes of quieting and disengaging it from our public process and discourse, rendering it powerless and as no threat to the agenda of some in our state legislature wishes to advance. We cannot and must not, as responsible civic leaders and citizens give them the satisfaction of thinking that this is acceptable and will be tolerated.”
Mayor Jennifer Eckstrom south Tuscon on Feb.-4-11

This is a Hispanic version of “Arisierung” or Aryanization which was a 1933 campaign to drive Jews out of the German Reich’s cultural life. Jewish intellectuals, actors, journalists and musicians lost their posts in important cultural institutions, and Jewish enrolment in universities was severely restricted. “Only in Arizona would a program, that graduates 97.5% of its high school students and sends more than 70% to college, would be facing the threat of elimination. This at a time when dropout rates for Mexican Americans can reach as high as 60%.”

The Giffords shooting was also a setback for the anti- HB 2281 group. “Federal judge John Roll, who was killed during the shooting, had been overseeing the court case challenging Arizona’s recently enacted ethnic studies ban, HB 2281. The anti-immigrant measure, which specifically targets the Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican American Studies program, went into effect only days before Roll’s death” (Media Consortium) He had received death threats from Conservative groups for his liberal viewpoint. His office windows were shot out as well during the fall election campaign. Coinciding with the January 8th shooting, the Cesar Chavez building at the University of Arizona was vandalized, a building home to the university's Mexican-American studies program. Giffords was anti-2281 and will be in rehabilitation for some time. If her seat is vacant for more than three months, under Arizona law there will be a special election and the winner will undoubtedly be tea party advocate Jessie Kelly. (continued)

Canukistani said...

So who is leading the campaign to eliminate Hispanic studies from universities? There is a triumvirate in government – the new state school superintendent, John Huppenthal , the new State Attorney General, Tom Horne and Senate President, Russell Pearce. Pearce is also a close friend of J. T. Ready, head of the local branch of the National Socialist Movement or NSM. They are the American neo Nazis. J. T. or storm trooper Ready (not kidding!) as his friends in the NSM call him is very anti-Semitic and anti-Hispanic. He probably won’t be around for awhile since he was caught hunting illegal immigrants in the desert with an automatic weapon. It was hard finding this connection since there is a tacit agreement in the media to refer to this group as an ambiguous right wing party rather than Aryan Arizonians on the March. This is getting to sound really weird so I’d better put a link to a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsHi6_l1XzA

How are they going to eliminate Hispanic studies? My first attempt was to follow the money. Arizona is already 46th out of 50 states in educational funding and Gov. Jan Brewer is cutting the state funding per student from $10,000 to $5,000 for fiscal 2012. I’ve read “Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein and as Paul Rohmer said “A crisis is too good not to use.” When I checked the University of Arizona funding sources, I discovered this source represents 22% of their funding and they have a lot of autonomy so I ruled this out.

HB 2281 really doesn’t work but SB 1108 gives them all the ammunition they need. SB 1108 is known as the “carrying” bill since it has a clause which allows anyone over 21 years to carry a concealed weapon (Jared clause?). It is really an omnibus bill which has other clauses to which most individuals didn’t pay attention. In April 2008, Pearce sponsored this bill which had a clause that would prohibit students of Arizona universities and community colleges from forming groups based in whole or part on the race of their membership. Pearce said he didn't want students indoctrinated with progressive ideologies. Critics have stated that the bill would ban groups that serve minority interests such as the Mexican American study program. The bill goes one step further. It also would ban public schools, colleges or universities from including race-based classes or school sponsored activities. Officially the language says it would ban any activity "deemed contradictory to the values of American democracy or Western civilization." However, the language is so broad, who knows what could be prohibited? Certainly Hispanic studies would be put at risk. It was signed into law on Jan.16, 2010 by Gov. Jan Brewer.

P.S. During my research, I discovered that Tom Horne is Jewish and born in Montreal. If J. T. and his buddies in the Schutzstaffel find out it’ll be lebewohl for Horney.

P.P.S. If you’re snowed in for the rest of the term and want a job in a warmer place, there are lots of jobs in the Arizona school board. The Arizona Department of Education has begun telling principals to remove teachers who speak English with an accent from classes with students who are still learning English. I can just see the headlines – Jewish Hispanic professor from Russia infiltrates school system. Even J. T. couldn’t deal with that!

Clarissa said...

". The Arizona Department of Education has begun telling principals to remove teachers who speak English with an accent from classes with students who are still learning English. I can just see the headlines – Jewish Hispanic professor from Russia infiltrates school system. Even J. T. couldn’t deal with that!"

-This is too funny! And it's also very scary as well. People tell me I'm overreacting as to what's happening in Arizona but the truth is that when you look further into how matters stand, it becomes clear that I'm actually underreacting. Things are obviously getting very scary.

What people don't understand about the whole idea of "banning any activity "deemed contradictory to the values of American democracy or Western civilization"" is that if one really wants to, one can easily present even something as innocuous as the teaching of subjunctive in Spanish as contradictory to somebody's values.

In my Hispanic Civilization course we talk about so many things that would be banned under this provision that I hardly know what would be left in the course at all.

Anonymous said...

Clarissa, as an undergrad Spanish student I am very interested to know what about the subjunctive could be "considered contradictory to somebody's values."

Not challenging your statement, just curious! :)

KEM

Clarissa said...

When I explain subjunctive to my students, I always tell them that they can either memorize the endless lists of cases where subjunctive is used (which I, for one, am too lazy to do) or they can understand the philosophy of subjunctive. Once you understand how it works on the level of ideology, you don't need to memorize any rules. You simply won't make a mistake in the use of subjunctive ever again.

When I explain the philosophical nature of the subjunctive in Spanish, things come up that Arizona crazies might definitely not like.