Summary
In this chapter, you learned the multiple meanings of jotería and the relationship and contributions of joteria studies to Chicanx studies and ethnic studies. You have learned the importance of self-naming through the genealogy of jotería studies by studying its origins and impact on Chicanx activism, cultural production, performance, identity, and scholarship.
The chapter has demonstrated how jotería frameworks help to think critically about gender sexuality, race, and culture. Through the testimonios of young people finding themselves in jotería studies, we can recognize the importance of jotería studies to present and future studies on gender and sexuality within Chicanx studies. This chapter has covered the legacy of past Chicanx studies scholars and women of color feminists who paved the way for jotería studies to exist. What do we gain from having a jotería studies lens? This is an invitation for more work to fill in those gaps and more conversations within jotería studies.
Ancillary materials for this chapter are located in Section 11.6: Chapter 6 Resource Guide, which includes slides, media, writing and discussion prompts, and suggested assignments and activities.
Key Terms
Jotería identity and consciousness: a way of thinking and being based on a journey of self-discovery and collective healing, guided by eleven tenets that include a commitment to multidimensional social justice, values gender fluidity and self-expression, is rooted in laughter, fun and radical queer love.
Jotería-historias: Individual and collective histories that embrace the contradictions and beauty of being queer and Chicanx and Latinx and recognize the need for interweaving personal experiences in our telling of history
Muxerista: is a person whose identity is rooted in a Chicana Latina feminist version for social change, committed to ending all forms of oppression including but not limited to classism, racism, sexism, homophobia, and citizenism. Its definition is rooted in the scholarship and activism of Chicanos and feminists of color, but it's extended by the work experience and theoretical understandings of the members of Raza Womyn
Theories in the flesh: woman of color feminist and queer theories created from lived experiences
El mundo zurdo: (left-handed world) refers to those of us on the margins, outside of the dominant world, because of our multiple intersection identities such as queer folks, immigrants, disabled, and others, and the potential among us to create solidarity and social change
Differential consciousness: Shifting modes in thinking (and action), involved in navigating systems of power, in turn leading to action. This is based on early contributions, concepts, and theories by feminist lesbians of color and the different namings of their identities point to interconnectedness, power in difference, and solidarity.
Sex-positive: Having positive attitudes about sex and sexuality and recognizing how colonialist and white supremaist ideologies led to stigmatization of sexuality, especially queer of color sexualities.
Queer trans environmentalisms: Relates to our relationship to the environment and a lens that looks at intersectionality from a queer, trans Latinx perspective and the environment
AJAAS: Association for Joteria Arts, Activism, and Scholarship, an organization central to the development of joteria studies and the nurturing of joteria voices an expressions
Joteria listening: A sonic approach to the world that describes how jotería listen collectively and what meaning they make of music, sounds, memories.
