100 Years After Desolación

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

One hundred years ago, Chile's greatest poet, Nobel Laureate Gabriela Mistral (1889-1957) published Desolación (1922) in New York. This upper-level seminar will celebrate the centenary of the publication of her first book by analyzing Mistral's work in light of the political, social and economic crises of the new millennium, which will allow us to appreciate the validity of her thought: equal rights for women, the recognition of indigenous American peoples, the struggle for democracy and peace in contexts of war, the protection of children, the care and defense of the environment, among others. Mistral was read and misread, understood, and misunderstood, in different contexts and times, however, the beauty and strength of her poetry and her essays create a voice that is an undeniable contribution to the debates of our present. The seminar will try to answer questions such as: Why Gabriela Mistral is today an indisputable figure for thinking about indigenous struggles; What are the reasons to understand Mistral as a woman of vanguard; What are the reappropriations that social movements such as feminism and sexual dissidence in Chile and Latin America have made of Mistral's figure and work; Why her thought attracts new generations of young people; Is it possible to think of Mistral as a "trans" author because she crosses different borders (geographical, gender, social); According to the readings of Mistral's work, what advantages does it give the Chilean poet to elaborate a poetics of ambiguous writing; Can we think of Gabriela Mistral within the panorama of Latin Americanist thought, what would be her contributions to the discussions made by her male peers, among others. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of Mistral's development as a writer and historical subject, as well as the geopolitical history in which she writes. Students will hone their ability to think critically about literature by receiving a variety of critical and theoretical approaches. The language of the class is Spanish.