Three Decades of Engendering History: Selected Works of Antonia I. Castañeda ed. by Linda Heidenreich and Antonia I. Castañeda (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Three Decades of Engendering History: Selected Works of Antonia I. Castañeda ed. by Linda Heidenreich and Antonia I. Castañeda Karla A. Lira Three Decades of Engendering History: Selected Works of Antonia I. Castañeda. Edited by Linda Heidenreich and Antonia I. Castañeda. ( Denton: University of North Texas Press, 2014. Pp. 400. Photographs, map, notes, bibliography, index.) Linda Heidenreich compiles leading Chicana historian Antonia I. Castañeda’s essays into one book featuring four thematic segments, each closed by a platica or discussion by Luz María Gordillo, in an effort to pass Chicana history and literature from one generation of scholars to the next. At the start of each section, Heidenreich includes an introduction that explains why she grouped certain essays together. The first pairs Castañeda’s essays on “The Political Economy of 19th Century Stereotypes of Californians” and “Malinche, Califa y Toypurina” to show how Mestiza and native women have been portrayed in California. Part two includes “Women of Color and the Rewriting of Western History” and “Gender, Race, and Culture”, two widely used historiographical discussions of the historical debate over and critique of Chicana history. In her third part, Heidenreich includes “Sexual Violence in the Policies of Conquest” and “Engendering the History of Alta California 1769–1848.” Both essays examine sexual structure among Alta California women. Lastly, and of more significance to Texas history, Castañeda’s “Que Se Pudieran Defender, Language and Other Lethal Weapons”, “Lullabies Y Canciones de Cuna,” and “La Despedida” are essays dedicated to living in the United States as a Chicana while questioning and remaking the historic field. Essentially, the section covers Tejano families’ struggles as they migrate to Washington State. In one example, Castañeda’s mother remembers, “We worked our way north, through valleys and towns with names as familiar as our family story … to arrive in valley towns with strange new names” (312). Deena González closes the anthology con broche de oro, reminding the reader that although the number of Latinas in academia is small, progress continues to flourish. Much of the scholarly advancement could be traced to Castañeda, and the anthology is an important acknowledgement of the work of a founding madre. Gordillo’s platicas add a nakedly honest conversation with Castañeda and other influential scholars such as Latino art historian Thomas Ybarra-Fausto and Chicana history founding madres Emma Pérez and Deena González. Gordillo so thoroughly covers the platicas that the reader feels he or she is having a tacita de café and taking part of the conversation as a silent audience member. The interviews analyze the Mexican American and Chicano experience from various perspectives, from Chicanas as agents of change to the larger discussion of all women workers in agriculture. Each platica with Gordillo and other scholars complements the essay selections by Heidenreich. [End Page 232] Three Decades of Engendering Women is a well-organized book serving historians, other scholars, and general readers. The work successfully communicates the struggles that Chicanas faced throughout history and continue to confront. Initially, the book appeared to be an homage to Castañeda, but later it developed into a more comprehensive resource. With this volume, Castañeda, Heidenreich, Gordillo and other scholars remind us that we still have room for future generations of Chicana studies to grow. [End Page 233] Karla A. Lira University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Copyright © 2015 The Texas State Historical Association