Dewey and Latina Lesbians on the Quest for Purity

Abstract

If Dewey were alive today he would be interested in, and on the side of, one of the most radical and insightful group of feminist thinkers at the end of the twentieth century: Latina Lesbian Women in the U.S.A. (LLWU). Latina lesbians are only one of many marginalized groups in U.S. society whose existence is problematic from a certain pre dominant metaphysical perspective. According to this perspective, to have a multiple identity or to be in between cultures, genders, or races is to be ambiguous, impure, and therefore inauthentic or anomalous. This perspective is more than an academic abstraction. It is deeply embedded in the ways we are taught to experience or conceive the world. This is evident from the fact that it continues to be responsible for the identity crisis experienced by Latina lesbians and, in general, many hyphenated Hispanics in the United States, for example, Mexican-Americans, Cuban-Americans, Newyo-Ricans, and Texa Ricans like myself. I will provide a Deweyan criticism of this meta physical perspective and compare it with some recent feminist critiques. But first let me introduce the problem of identity as it has been experienced by Latina lesbians.