Julie Shayne - Taking Risks: Feminist Activism and Research in the Americas

TAKING RISKS

SUNY series, Praxis: Theory in Action
Nancy A. Naples, editor

Feminist Activism
and Research
in the Americas

EDITED BY

JULIE SHAYNE

FOREWORD BY

MARGARET RANDALL

Cover: Futuro, mural on Escuela N 20 Rawson, Prov. De Chubut, Argentina.
2003. An original mural by Nora Patrich. Courtesy of Nora Patrich.

Published by State University of New York Press, Albany

2014 State University of New York

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Taking risks: feminist activism and research in the Americas / edited by Julie Shayne ; foreword by Margaret Randall.
pages cm. (SUNY series, praxis: theory in action)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4384-5245-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. FeminismHistoryNorth America. 2. FeminismHistorySouth America. 3. Social justiceHistoryNorth America. 4. Social justiceHistorySouth America. I. Shayne, Julie D., 1966- editor of compilation.
HQ1150.T35 2013
305.42097dc23

2013030255

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

In memory of my beloved father, Barry (19452001)

Margaret Randall

Julie Shayne and Kristy Leissle

Nora Patrich

Jessica Monteiro Manfredi

Carmen Rodrguez

Mahala Lettvin

Julie Shayne

Marisela Fleites-Lear

Jessica Monteiro Manfredi

Tamera Marko

Robin Garcia

Christina Marn

Julie Shayne

Erica Lorraine Williams

Roberta Villaln

Shelly Grabe

Julie Shayne and Kristy Leissle

Julie Shayne

E diting this book was an incredibly all-consuming process, one which I could not have completed without the support and help of countless individuals. This book might not exist if Bruce Burgett (my then chair, now dean) had not asked me to organize a seminar about activist research in the Americas for the 2010 Imagining America conference. I thank the participants in that session for generating such a lively dialogue that, as a collective, I knew we had more to contribute than ninety minutes could provide; especially Marisela Fleites-Lear, Christina Marn, and Tamera Marko, all of whom contributed to this collection.

I also want to offer a special thank you to my spring 2012 Interdisciplinary Inquiry students for providing me such fresh ideas about activist scholarship, which I kept with me as I co-wrote the introduction and conclusion to this collection. Many people read early drafts of different chapters in this volume, and I would like to thank them all as well: Kari Lerum, Mahala Lettvin, Kristy Leissle, Carmen Rodrguez, Karen Rosenberg, Roberta Villaln, Erica Williams, and SUNY Presss anonymous reviewers. Thanks are also due Marisela Fleites-Lear and Jessica Monteiro Manfredi for double checking the Spanish and Portuguese, respectively.

Carmen Rodrguez is also owed a debt of my gratitude for putting me in touch with Argentine artist Nora Patrich, whose artwork has greatly enhanced this book. Needless to say, Nora also deserves my deep appreciation for sharing her art with me in exchange for only a fraction of the compensation her pieces are worth. I truly cannot offer enough gratitude to Margaret Randall for writing the foreword to Taking Risks. As I explain in this books conclusion, I started reading Margarets books when I was an undergraduate womens studies student. Reading her books in a college classroom forever planted a seed that activism and scholarship should not be separated. Though I had to keep that seed dormant for much longer than I would have liked, I am beyond honored that Margarets words are here to enrich this collection of activist scholarship.

In the course of writing or editing a book there always ends up being one person who becomes the sounding board for all of the unglamorous, behind-the-scenes issues. In the case of this book, Ron Krabill was my go-to man. Ron is one of my many overextended colleagues, yet he still made time to walk me through early logistical concerns and provided the guidance to move this book forward. Kristy Leissle, my coauthor of the introduction and conclusion, became my go-to woman in a different capacity. In short, I must thank Kristy for allowing me to treat her as a coeditor at times rather than a coauthor. She always responded to my requests for help that went way above and beyond the coauthoring job description for which she had originally signed on.

Mahala Lettvin was an undergraduate American studies student when I asked her to rework a paper she wrote for me into a chapter for this book. In typical Mahala fashion, her first instinct was to downplay her skill. But fortunately I was able to prevail upon her, and she ultimately produced a beautiful chapter for this collection. But my greatest appreciation goes to Mahala for eagerly agreeing to co-write the index for this book. I do not know another person as detailed-oriented as I am, and I have happily shared that job with her. Relatedly, I want to thank the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Initiatives to Develop Interdisciplinary Scholarship and Collaboration (IDISCO) for providing the grant to fund Mahalas work on the index. I also want to acknowledge the University of Washington Bothells Office of Research for funding Jessicas hard work on the section introductions.

Finally, thanks are due my family. My dad (Barry), mom (Lynda), and stepdad (Frank) who raised me to always speak my mind and chase my passions. Fortunately, following those passions landed my family and me back on the West Coast, ultimately providing the professional freedom to pursue this project. Appreciation and acknowledgment are also due to my daughter, Barrie, and son, Aaron, who had to spend more time in summer camp than perhaps they would have chosen, so I could finish this book during the precious few writing months my teaching load provided me. You two are awesome, and now you are entitled to say to me, with a tone of unwavering confidence: Youre welcome. To my beloved husband, Dave, whose everythingness becomes more unshakable as our tree-covered time together passes, I say to you, again, thank you.

MARGARET RANDALL

I started college in the stifling 1950s. The nation was still grappling with McCarthyism. Classes at my hometown state university were traditional and mostly quite vacuous. I was soon bored and quit, spending the next several decades exploring the world. I went to New York City, where I met avant-garde artists and writers, made lists of books they mentioned or recommended, then hoped they would be willing to discuss them with me. I traveled to Mexico, then Cuba, and finally Nicaragua, learned about life outside the United States, took part in peoples revolutions, raised four children, and honed my writing skills.