Desde los zulos
Dahlia de la Cerda
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In her five-chapter hybrid essay, Desde los zulos, author Dahlia de la Cerda uses language skillfully, free of euphemisms or embellishments, to set the tone for a deep and critical analysis of hegemonic feminisms in which she reflects on the condition of those who do not have the privilege of writing or theorizing from a room of their own. Taking her family history as the starting point, she tells the story of her personal life as a daughter and as a friend, her experiences as a student, a partner, a writer – and as an activist participating in various movements, all of which lay the ground for a well-reasoned proposal of a feminism rooted in actual experiences of those living on the periphery, of those who are on the margin and seek to eradicate oppressions like classism, racism and transphobia. She has in fact coined a special name for this perspective, calling it a feminism ‘from the zulos’. De la Cerda captures the reader’s attention with her narrative art from the very beginning in the opening chapter, Feminismo sin cuarto propio, where she recounts childhood adventures she shared with her best friend in the neighborhood where they grew up, things that happened at the private Catholic school she attended, and different situations she faced along with her mother and father, in order to show how social inequality and racial discrimination determine the relationships between women and their environment. She summarizes the genealogy of feminism in the same chapter by presenting the main ideas of the first, second and third waves of feminism in a simple but nonetheless critical manner. Names well-known to those well-versed in the theory are underlined and highlighted for readers who are just beginners and may want to delve more deeply into the subject by consulting primary sources in the future. Perhaps most notably, she complements this analysis with a vehement argument to the effect that theorizing about feminism from positions of white privilege is by no means the same as theorizing about it from the margins. |
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The second chapter, Un texto personal, is thoroughly mesmerizing. The force of de la Cerda’s prose is evident in the intense and urgent chronicle through which she shares the account of her circumstances as a daughter, friend, partner, writer and activist – as a woman, in other words - while analyzing and denouncing white or elitist feminist ideologies that do not correspond to the conditions of women living on the margin of society, nor do they manage to solve the problems said women face. On the other hand, in the third chapter, Si Feministlán fuera Troya, yo sería Helena, the author informs the reader of how essential her militancy in different movements has been in her evolution as a feminist theorist and critic, describing her participation in them in great detail and providing an exhaustive account of events and how they actually happened. All of this leads her to conclude that effectiveness is best achieved through close participation, helping those who need help with direct actions, creating safe environments for those who need them, and, of course, by raising the funds to be able to do so.
In the fourth chapter, He teorizado más que tú, y sin salir del guetto, de la Cerda once again demonstrates her expertise by clearly pointing out the Achilles heel of hegemonic feminist movements and activisms which consists of practices that commonly exclude, ignore or even oppress members of the community at large. Furthermore, a critical view of her own participation on various fronts gives her room from which to evaluate her own actions and rectify her positions, or admit to learning a lesson and expressing a change of viewpoint, thus evolving in her ideas. She believes feminism to be an emancipatory movement that must include those who are oppressed by ideologies that racialize and discriminate against them along different lines, and she has personally opted for a decolonial, inclusive, form of feminism, which is also one of color.
De la Cerda’s theoretical proposal is consolidated in the fifth and final chapter of Desde los zulos: ¿cómo construir un feminismo más allá de la blanquitud? and shows how she is clearly committed to a community-based feminism which aims to combat a ‘matrix of oppressions’ that includes but is not limited to racism, sexism, classism, transphobia: a feminism whose theoretical articulations, discourses and emancipatory practices flow from the periphery, that is to say, from the zulos.
In addition to the enlightening insights that Dahlia de la Cerda offers in the five chapters mentioned above, she also provides a supplementary section called Notes at the end of the book. Said Notes include the titles of texts that orient and influence her theoretical and political proposal, as well as the names of individuals such as bell hooks, Gloria Anzaldúa, Chela Sandoval, Audre Lorde, Sirin Adlbi Sibai, Soyciguapa and others whose ideas and activism nourish and inform her experience as a feminist. Taken as a whole given its remarkable qualities, Desde los zulos unquestionably constitutes a heartfelt invitation and a useful key to help insert ourselves into the theorization, criticism and proposals of feminist activism through the voice and participation of one of its outstanding protagonists, written all in caps, as the reader will soon become aware.
Dahlia de la Cerda is a Mexican writer, activist and podcaster. She is recognized as one of the most influential female writers in Latin America; her work has been translated to six different languages and it has also been included in various anthologies. She was finalist in the VIII Premio Ribera del Duero de Narrativa Breve. She is co-founder and co-director of the feminist collective Morras Help Morras.
Desde los zulos is a publication of Editorial Sexto Piso.
In the fourth chapter, He teorizado más que tú, y sin salir del guetto, de la Cerda once again demonstrates her expertise by clearly pointing out the Achilles heel of hegemonic feminist movements and activisms which consists of practices that commonly exclude, ignore or even oppress members of the community at large. Furthermore, a critical view of her own participation on various fronts gives her room from which to evaluate her own actions and rectify her positions, or admit to learning a lesson and expressing a change of viewpoint, thus evolving in her ideas. She believes feminism to be an emancipatory movement that must include those who are oppressed by ideologies that racialize and discriminate against them along different lines, and she has personally opted for a decolonial, inclusive, form of feminism, which is also one of color.
De la Cerda’s theoretical proposal is consolidated in the fifth and final chapter of Desde los zulos: ¿cómo construir un feminismo más allá de la blanquitud? and shows how she is clearly committed to a community-based feminism which aims to combat a ‘matrix of oppressions’ that includes but is not limited to racism, sexism, classism, transphobia: a feminism whose theoretical articulations, discourses and emancipatory practices flow from the periphery, that is to say, from the zulos.
In addition to the enlightening insights that Dahlia de la Cerda offers in the five chapters mentioned above, she also provides a supplementary section called Notes at the end of the book. Said Notes include the titles of texts that orient and influence her theoretical and political proposal, as well as the names of individuals such as bell hooks, Gloria Anzaldúa, Chela Sandoval, Audre Lorde, Sirin Adlbi Sibai, Soyciguapa and others whose ideas and activism nourish and inform her experience as a feminist. Taken as a whole given its remarkable qualities, Desde los zulos unquestionably constitutes a heartfelt invitation and a useful key to help insert ourselves into the theorization, criticism and proposals of feminist activism through the voice and participation of one of its outstanding protagonists, written all in caps, as the reader will soon become aware.
Dahlia de la Cerda is a Mexican writer, activist and podcaster. She is recognized as one of the most influential female writers in Latin America; her work has been translated to six different languages and it has also been included in various anthologies. She was finalist in the VIII Premio Ribera del Duero de Narrativa Breve. She is co-founder and co-director of the feminist collective Morras Help Morras.
Desde los zulos is a publication of Editorial Sexto Piso.
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