>Date: Sun, 27 May 2007 15:36:48 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Lisa Vollendorf <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Coloquio cervantino
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>Dear Colleagues,
>I have been informed of the recent discussion
>about the Pomona Cervantes Symposium held in
>April. Now that I have been added to this list,
>I write to say first and foremost that the
>event, beautifully organized by José Cartagena
>Calderón, was educational and eye-opening in
>many respects. All of the ponentes brought a
>high level of professionalism to the fore, and
>the exchange was tremendously collegial. It is
>therefore disillusioning to learn that, in the
>face of this open exchange of ideas,
>perspectives, and approaches to Cervantes
>studies, an ongoing discussion of my purported
>'hermetic silence' and lack of scientific bent
>has become the focus of the follow-up discussions.
>
>Fundamentally this is a waste of our efforts, as
>there were and still are infinite other follow
>up discussions that would benefit us all: about
>the possibilities for new understandings of
>Cervantes, new means of engaging with his
>poetry, plays, and his place in the Mediterranean world, for example.
>
>The innumerable that have remained sidelined
>would have been and still are possible precisely
>because scholars of all different stripes were
>present in Pomona and we were able to talk
>across ideological lines to learn from each
>other. Yet it seems the dialogue that has
>occurred on this listserve has focused more
>specifically on negative reactions to some
>people's approaches and also included a very
>specific ad feminem attack on me personally as
>well as an attack on my 'unscientific' approach to early modern studies.
>
>Since my name has been trotted about for several
>weeks now, I would like to respond by saying
>that I did indeed answer all questions asked of
>me, including the one about whether working
>within an approach of gendered readings implies
>that I believe (a) that women write and read
>differently from men and (b) that gender
>includes only women. The answer to both
>components of the question is no, as I stated on
>that day. I do not believe that men and women
>are essentially different, neither as readers
>nor as writers. Gender includes of course
>femininity and masculinity, as well as all the
>queer constructions of sexuality and gender that
>human beings might possibly conjure. My focus,
>as I stated in my response to the question, was
>on women in Don Quijote and on new knowledge
>about women in the Iberian world during
>Cervantes' day, but this does not preclude other
>kinds of gendered readings from being done. As I
>tried to make clear in my contribution to the
>colloquium and as I try to make clear in my
>scholarship on the topic, historicized early
>modern gender studies offers innumerable
>possibilities for rehistoricizing our thinking about Cervantes and his era.
>
>It seems clear that I did not answer in a way
>that was satisfying to the colleague who
>initiated this discussion. This lack of
>satisfaction has led to a numerous statements
>about my intentionality and supposed hermetic
>silence. For the record, I want it to be clear
>that I believe in professional scholarly
>exchange. If I aggressed an audience member on
>that day, that I would welcome the opportunity
>to discuss that with him to set the record straight.
>
>I would like to urge the list to shift the focus
>away from personal attacks in the future and to
>invite all subscribers to work together in this
>electronic forum to think through the
>complexities of traditional and emerging
>scholarly approaches to the subject we all know
>and love: Cervantine studies. In the end, we do
>share at least this common goal. Perhaps we can
>refocus our attention on that goal--by
>initiating dialogues about any number of topics
>mentioned here--as a way to work more
>collaboratively toward enriching our scholarship and teaching.
>
>It is my fundamental belief that, as proponents
>and practitioners of humanistic inquiry, we
>should aspire to maintain a high level of
>respect and humanity in our treatment of each
>other. If any of us falter in practicing utmost
>respect, then I hope we can have the
>collegiality to approach each other personally
>to clear any misunderstandings that may result
>from our interactions rather than taking such
>complaints to electronic fora that involve
>people across the globe in what may be, in some
>cases and what is, I would suggest in this
>particular case, something best resolved on an
>interpersonal level. This will free up the
>listserves and other technological wonders of
>the 21st century to exchange ideas and advance
>our body of scholarly knowledge.
>
>Respectfully yours,
>
>Lisa Vollendorf
>
>
>
>Lisa Vollendorf, PhD
>Associate Professor of Spanish
>California State University, Long Beach
>
>President, GEMELA
>(Grupo de Estudios sobre la Mujer en España y las Américas)
>http://www.aeeahome.org
>
>
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Prof. A. Robert Lauer
The University of Oklahoma
Dept. of Modern Langs., Lits., & Ling.
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Teatro de los Siglos de Oro
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