Presentation: Talking Points
The co-existence of Catholicism and Voodoo and its difference from Protestantism
-“The colonized…are not swallowed up by the coercions and productions of the colonizer, but bend and adapt these facts to their own uses. Vodoun testifies to that labor of resistance and change, comprehending multiple histories in what Roger Bastide has argued to be a syncretism that defies “the logic of Western thought, which is based on the principle of identity and noncontradiction.
-Erzulie’s Skirt—understanding the difference between Mama Housin and Ligia; How is identity discerned by religion?
The many faces of Erzulie
-Virgin vs. Venus
-Erzulie-Ge-Rouge (Literally Erzulie-eyes-red) vs. Goddess of luxury &love
-Erzulie Freda(mulatto or white) vs. Erzulie Dantor (black)
Does Erzulie have the power to define a distinct kind of femininity or does she possess a façade of power under subjection to gender and social constructs? How can we make sense of her contradictory existence?
Erzulie Freda 
Erzulie Dantor
Finding Connections
-How does Erzulie function for Miriam and Micaela? In slavery conditions? For
homosexuality in Haiti now?
Thoughts on “Of Men and Gods” documentary
http://www.der.org/films/of-men-and-gods.html
8 comments:
I'm interested in how this text demonstrates the same repercussions of Western missionary work as those described in "The Darker Side of Black." Ligia/Housin turns to a protestant faith with the intention of saving herself, but it ultimately causes her to forsake her daughter and alienate herself from her husband. Maternal power is, to this effect, appropriated by Protestant doctrine.
Erzulie as the goddess of the ocean can be described as the metaphorical embodiment of Gilroy's 'black Atlantic,' but she is a force in her own right in this novel. She encompasses Micaela and Miriam's Kreyol and Hispanic background as they and their ancestors move from Haiti to the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico. We see the impact of the global sex trade and how lower class women are preyed upon, the impossibility of upward mobility through immigration, the racial hierarchy as it functions in the Dominican Republic, and Erzulie as both the ocean and 'feminine' power is present. Erzulie is with Micaela and Miriam through their movements across water, forced and unforced, voluntary and involuntary, with hope and with despair.
I want to address three points that stood out to me in this work. One is the lack of outright acknowledgment of a lesbian relationship - this ties back to our discussion last week in the way that 'queerness' is a Western construct; this may also be why they refer to each other as 'friends' to authority figures. Second, there is a bit of a deux ex machina in this work with the sudden release of Micaela and Miriam from the brothel. Really? The doors just open and there are hundreds of dolares fluttering around? What do others make of that? Is that tied to the mysticism and magical feeling to Lara's work?
Finally, I want to offer up the interpretation that Antonio's death can be construed as the death of a male lineage. Yealidad is the one to inherit the colmado, returning to a matrilineal inheritance pattern. I am not familiar with traditional Vodoun practices or pre-colonial inheritance patterns in the DR, but I am interested to hear what others think about how we can interpret Yealidad's ownership of Miriam's Chango and the women's business.
Erzulie's Skirt has a lot of key issues that deal with black feminism and our mapping project such as migration whether forced or not, sexuality etc. I feel that this book was useful in drawing contexts that can be relateable to the project especially mines.
Erzulie is the goddess of the ocean but is it also saying that she personifies a homosexual goddess in voodoo?
There is this idea that everyone wants to come to the U.S. and stay so as to make a better life for themselves and their family, but this book talks about Micheala visit to the U.S and her return to her home country because she didnt like it totally dispeling the myth of the USA.
This book provided an amazing account of women's life in the Caribbean. Even though this book was a fictional story, many persons within the Caribbean strive to escape to the U.S. for hopes of a better life. Consequently, I doubt as to whether this story was truly a fictional account.
The racism that Miriam encountered as being a Haitian-American in the Dominican Republic angered me. She struggled with her identity, and more than once throughout the story self-identified as a Dominican. Even thought Miriam's and Michaela lived completely different lives, circumstances and social stature most definitely connected the two women in multiple ways.
Overall I really enjoyed this book, the most intriguing concepts focused on religion. I am happy to see that Lara, shed light on the concepts of voodoo. Similar to how many westerners see the continent of Africa, Voodoo is also looked upon as a very dark sadistic religion, and way of life that is in need of some sought of reform through Christianity. Throughout the book the reader can actually see more commonalities between voodoo and Christianity or Catholicism than differences. Offerings, the division between good and evil, prayer, fellowship are characteristics of both religions. Lara also shows a great connection between religion and fear, mainly through Ligia, and her relationship with Micaela. This concept of fear and religion is apparent throughout the book and Black culture today.
The gendering of voodoo is also an interesting concept. Through the book, it is very clear that the knowledge and rituals of the religion was the responsibility of the matriarchal lineage. Through the italicized portions of the book that describes dreams of either Micaela or Miriam, this concept of gendering is evident. Women are deemed as the holders of dreams, history and religion etc. Lara uses a capital letters in the words She or Her to further express this connection. This concept is also seen through how the voodoo priest dressed and the alluring sensual manner of the dance and rituals. Also, I think this theme of gendering voodoo is seen through the picture on the cover of the book. The face portion is blank; I think it represents the many faces of women all over the Black Atlantic. The skirt portion almost looks like a quilt, so it can be a metaphor for piecing together history.
The lesbian relationship between Micaela and Miriam seemed to be unnoticed to the outside world. It was clear that they shared passion and love for each other, but it seemed to be dismissed from the outside world. This is also a running theme that is seen throughout the Black Atlantic.
I found the book to be interesting and a bit depressing at times. As far as Ligia/Housin theme is concerned, I do not believe that it is her becoming a protestant that made her turn her back on her family. I think that it is the way she interpreted the protestant faith. It is my firm belief that many "Christians" do not really know what it means to do Gods work. They are extremely judgmental and think that their way is the only way. If they truly believed that God was all powerful, than they would at least know that it is plausible that God comes to people in the form that they can understand. It is not her becoming a protestant that made her turn her back on her family, it is her inability to think for herself.
The middle passage that Miriam and Michaela went through in an effort to reach the place where the “streets were made of gold” reminded me of the many avenues people from my father’s country (Honduras) go through to get to America. I have heard many stories of women allowing the bodies to be used for sex from country to country just to get to the Mexican border, I have witnessed one father pay over 7,000 to have his son transported to from Honduras to California, and I listened to one Honduran speak about how he would rather be in jail in the U.S. than free in Honduras. It is definitely an eye opener, as I don’t know if Americans realize how lucky we truly are. It also saddens me that so many people in America complain so much about how bad their lives are when life just south of the border and in the American backyard is 10 times worse.
The sex trafficking business is alive and well. Miriam and Michaela’s experience highlight the fact that a woman’s body is a commodity in our world. The irony is that a woman tricked them into taking the trip and a woman held them captive. How can women fight against such offenses when women willingly participate in such offenses? Should we look at the two women (the trickster and the pimp) as products of global oppression and therefore give them a pass, or as oppressors that need to be held responsible for their crimes against humanity? The picture gets blurry when you think of it this way. As the men the Congo that rape women are being oppressed, they are still oppressors themselves and (in my opinion) need to take responsible for the destruction they cause.
The relationship between Haitians and Dominicans has always puzzled. Dominicans seem to believe that they are better than Haitians and are different from Haitians when in fact, they are of the similar origin. Racism exists throughout the world and Miriam’s experience in the Dominican Republic definitely highlights how deeply woven racism is in many societies. It was not until she had money that she became the “model minority” in DR and any time before that, she was Black which as we know has been widely associated with all things bad. The situation between Haitians and Dominicans is all about color which is still puzzling because most Dominicans are not that much lighter than Haitians.
I do not want to rehash all the points that have already been made because i am in a very similar mind when it comes to what has been said. I feel as though through the documentary, the book, and what we have been studying throughout the course that there seems to be a striving for the justification of sexuality. Please don't misconstrue this but i feel taht many try to justify heterosexuality, homosexuality , or somewhere in between as rightand upheld by the laws of man, science, and God. I feel as though sexuality just is...it is inextractable and unexplainable for the most part. yes, there is a purpose to some forms of sexual activities but for the most part I feel as though people waste time and energy fretting to why this is right or this is wrong when sexuality just merely "is."
I extend this type of logic to the struggle to distinguish one group from another. i am frustrated to no end with the imaginary distictions that separate us from realizing that we are of the same kind essentially...the human kind with differences that should be both respected and celebrated. the need to distinguish two groups which are essentially the same group from one another is perplexing to me and I see it as one of the reasons that the diaspora continues to be fractured and distanced from its common ancestry. i enjoy this course particularly for its insight in developing and visualizing this common thread. i still ended up rambling...my apologies.
The first thing that came to mind after reading this book is horizontal hostility. The neverending cycle of repression we have for one another. How could we ever move foward as a society when we continue to bring one another down.
The division between Haitians and Domincans is something that is still very prevelant today. Which like one of my class mentioned is mind boggling to see that we all share a common ancestry yet we continue to fight with one another.
I remeber when I was younger being In Puerto Rico and seeing (first eye witness) the selling of Dominicans by Puerto Ricans. This image also came to mind while reading Erzulie's Skirt.
-Angie Aguilar
This novel challenged me in many respects. As I mentioned in class, religion is one of those respects. I had never thought of such an angle to see issues of gender and sexuality. I am not familiar with Christian or Catholic tradition, but I do know something about Buddhism. I think the opinion that all religions come from a sense of helplessness or desperation makes sense on some levels. When people cannot explain phenomena in this world with reasoning, they tend to turn to something magic or that has superpower for help. I have heard that communication between believers and their gods in dreams is one of the key characteristics of voodoo, which can be evidenced by many scenes in Erzulie's Skirt. With the eyes of an outsider and a former psychology student, I see Freud's theories in that phenomenon. Freud had many theories in regard to dreams, the most famous one of which is the subconscious explanation. It is commonly accepted that dreams are reflections of daily activities. I guess one of the reasons why voodoo believers believe so much in their gods and goddesses is that they can tell their exact life stories in the dreams. They know their names, and know all their experiences, especially their sufferings. One of the symbolic meanings of such a religion or the telling of such a religion in this novel can actually enlighten feminist research methodologies. The most effective way to touch people's deepest feelings is to listen and understand their lived experiences.
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