Abstract

MOSQUEDA, Alejandro. Poetry as a Collective Resource in the Face of Cultural Imperialism Against Mexican-Americans. The Case of José Olivarez’s Poetry. Norteamérica [online]. 2021, vol.16, n.1, pp.299-321.  Epub Oct 25, 2021. ISSN 2448-7228.  https://doi.org/10.22201/cisan.24487228e.2021.1.454.

Cultural imperialism is a condition of oppression that consists of the dominant narratives of society erasing the particular perspective of minority groups (and groups treated like minorities), stigmatizing them based on impoverished, degrading ideas. As a result, the members of oppressed and minority groups internalize their oppression and experience moral cruelty. This article argues that poetry can be a collective resource for counteracting these symbolic injuries. Based on Sandra Faulkner’s proposal about poetic research, the author uses the work of Mexican-American poet José Olivarez to show how poetry is a tool for questioning stigmatized stereotypes, shining a light on the subjective experiences of groups that have been made minorities, countering the humiliation created by stigmas, and reasserting their role as protagonists in identity negotiation processes that Mexican-Americans have been excluded from due to cultural imperialism.

Keywords : cultural imperialism; Mexican-Americans; poetic research; moral cruelty; internalized oppression.