Three Decades of Engendering History

Book excerpt: For over three decades the work of Antonia I. Castañeda has shaped the fields of Western History and Chicana Studies. From her early articles on Chicana representation and political economy, to her most recent work mapping gendered violence and gendered resistance in the history of the U.S. Southwest, her work is consistently taught in classrooms and cited extensively. Yet Castañeda's work has been scattered throughout journals and anthologies, a "paper chase" for historians to track down. Three Decades of Engendering History ends the chase. This volume, edited by Linda Heidenreich, collects ten of Castañeda's best articles, including the widely circulated article "Engendering the History of Alta California, 1769-1848," in which she took a direct and honest look at sex and gender relations in colonial California. Demonstrating that there is no romantic past to which we can turn, she exposed stories of violence against women, as well as stories of survival and resistance. Other articles included are the prize-winning "Women of Color and the Rewriting of Western History," and two recent articles, "Lullabies y Canciones de Cuna" and "La Despedida." The latter two represent Castañeda’s most recent work excavating, mapping, and bringing forth the long and strong post-WWII history of Tejanas. Finally, the volume includes three interviews with Antonia Castañeda, conducted by Luz María Gordillo, that contribute the important narrative of her lived experiences, political perspective, her commitment to initiate and develop scholarship that highlights gender and Chicanas as a legitimate line of inquiry, and her drive to center Chicanas as historical subjects.