New Historicism and Race and Ethnic Studies

“New” vs. “Old” Historicism

• “Old” Historicism– History provides the background and context for a

story.– History is stable and objective.• Literature reflects or presents history.

“New” vs. “Old” Historicism

• “Old” Historicism– History provides the background and context for a story.– History is stable and objective.

• Literature reflects or presents history.

• New Historicism– Both history and literature are complex and uncertain.– Need to consider multiple points of view and

interpretations.• History and literature = cycle of mutual influence. (Make and

remake each other.)

New Historicism

• Move away from essentialism– History is a construction rather than an “essence”

or truth.• E.g. One view= Christopher Columbus discovered

America.• Another=Columbus was a brutal invader and

conqueror.

• Nothing is “outside” history

Race and Ethnic Studies

• Overlaps with more specific focal points and areas:– South Asian Studies– African Studies– Latin American Studies– Pacific Studies– In the U.S.:

• Asian American Studies, Latina/Latino studies (or Chicana/Chicano studies, depending on emphasis), American Indian Studies, African American Studies, Hawaiian Studies, etc.

“Zooming In”: Gloria Anzaldúa and Borderlands/La Frontera

• Theorist in cultural studies, feminism, and queer theory

• Borderlands/La Frontera– Emphasis on mixing of national, racial, sexual, and

gendered cultures and identities.– Language and Identity• Seamless movement between many different

languages and dialects (multiple versions of English and Spanish, including Spanglish and Nahuatl)