La mujer en el discurso nacionalista puertorriqueño de la primera mitad del siglo XX: Hitos de la raza de María Cadilla de Martínez

Abstract

This article analyzes Hitos de la raza (Milestones of the Race) (1945) by Puerto Rican writer Maria Cadilla de Martinez (1886-1951), focusing on the discursive strategies used to legitimize the role of women intellectuals within the context of building a national identity. The author’s work was published during a time of controversial national debates surrounding the affirmation of Puerto Rican identity during the first half of the 20th century, largely responding to the impact generated by the U. S. taking possession of the island in 1898. The analysis draws on theoretical concepts such as public sphere and feminist subaltern counter-public, as well as comparative methods that discuss affinities and differences with Insularismo (1934), by Puerto Rican author Antonio S. Pedreira, and Ariel (1900) by Uruguayan author Jose Enrique Rodo. The book is analyzed along three main arguments: Arielist influence (both on structural and ideological levels), representations of women, and the treatment of racial issues.