>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.
780 Van Vleet Oval, Kaufman Hall, Room 206
Norman, Oklahoma 73019-2032, USA
Tel.: 405-325-5845 (office); 405/325-6181 (OU 
dept.); Fax: 1-866-602-2679 (private)
Vision: Harmonious collaboration in an international world.
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