Embracing Marginalized Voices: Expanding Shakespeare in the Borderlands
by Daniela Torres-Cirina, Gema Ludisaca, and Jennifer Diana Figueroa
The Crossing Latinidades Humanities Research Initiative (CLHRI), an award from the Mellon Foundation housed at the University of Illinois Chicago, aims to bring synergy between R1 Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the United States. With a $100,000 subaward, the Bridging the Shakespeare — Latinx Divide working group collaborates, shares research and organizes symposia with PhD candidates across the country. The project team’s aim is to show students why their analyses, performances, and adaptations of Shakespeare can transform the field by fostering cross-institutional and cross-regional dialogues within the humanities about national and linguistic identity, immigration, race, ethnicity, economics, ethics, citizenship and social justice — all issues that define, in part, the Latino experience in the U.S.
As the first cohort to join the Bridging the Shakespeare-Latinx Divide working group led by Ruben Espinosa*, doctoral fellows Daniela Torres-Cirina (UA), Gema Ludisaca (UC Irvine), and Jennifer Diana Figueroa (UC Santa Cruz) reflect on the insights gained from their year-long research experience, which considers how Latino/a/x studies and perspectives can enhance and advance Shakespeare studies.
Trouble with The Bard — What is the Shakespeare-Latinx Divide?
We are three Ph.D. Candidates in the fields of Applied Linguistics, Latin American and Latino Studies, and English. Our dissertation research ranges from pedagogy and literacy of heritage language learners, to alternative networks of activism by immigrant parents, to representations of indigeneity in contemporary Latinx popular fiction. At a glance, our work appears outside the purview of early modern studies and Shakespearean scholarship. However, as we considered the various reasons why Shakespeare felt so irrelevant to our work — even for the English major amongst us — we found that our disdain shared a common point of origin: the high school English classroom.
For those of us whose first language isn’t English and whose cultural traditions, values, and lived experiences loom far from the high society depicted in Shakespeare’s plays, Shakespeare often felt inaccessible in high school. What the three of us share is a similar memory of our first encounter with what Farah Karim-Cooper calls “The Great White Bard”: an 18th-century racial and colonial fantasy that constructed Shakespeare as a timeless genius whose works talked to a universal human experience. We felt alienated from Shakespeare’s language and wrestled with identifying his literary “genius” and connecting to this so-called transcendental and universal portrayal of the collective human experience. The disconnect felt by those who find Shakespeare inaccessible raises questions about cultural capital, exclusion, and the enduring legacy of imperial social hierarchy. As researchers and educators, these questions make evident the need to articulate the existence of a different kind of collective experience, one that points to a discernible divide between Latino/a/x students and audiences and Shakespeare.
One of the main goals of the Bridging the Shakespeare-Latinx Divide research group is to promote the development of new scholarship that responds to the underrepresented study of the intersection of Shakespeare and Latino/a/x studies. In doing so, the group aims to propel the continued study and development of a distinct set of historical, methodological, and theoretical questions that emerge when one examines Shakespeare’s works through the lens of Latino/a/x studies. As scholars coming from various intellectual disciplines, we considered how we might reconcile the Latinx-Shakespeare chasm by employing critical race, ethnic, and Latino/a/x studies as the guiding focus for conversations, workshops, research, and public events.
In what follows, we reflect on our findings and expand on some of our key take-aways. With these findings in mind, we offer pedagogical recommendations, which function as a jumping off point for the development of a more specific curriculum.
Reinterpreting Shakespeare Through the Lens of Marginalized Voices
Reinterpreting Shakespeare in the borderlands is an act of reclaiming and centering marginalized voices. The borderland context provides a fertile ground for emphasizing discussions about themes of migration, displacement, and cultural hybridity. In “Beyond The Tempest: Language, Legitimacy, and La Frontera,” Ruben Espinosa explores the intersections of language, power, and the borderlands. He emphasizes how language becomes a tool of control and exclusion, perpetuating power dynamics in the region. Espinosa asserts, “In the borderlands, language operates as both a weapon and a refuge. It can be used to assert authority and reinforce borders, but it can also serve as a means of resistance and cultural preservation.” By acknowledging Espinosa’s perspective, we recognize the transformative potential of embracing marginalized voices and reclaiming linguistic diversity in our reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s works.
Historically, Shakespeare’s plays have been dominated by white, Eurocentric perspectives. However, in the borderlands, artists and scholars have the opportunity to challenge these narratives and amplify the experiences of marginalized communities. By exploring the borderland context, artists and scholars emphasize cultural hybridity–recognizing it as a powerful lens that showcases the collision and fusion of diverse cultures as well as vibrant and dynamic communities. Adaptations that center borderland communities were the focus of our first workshop, where we discussed the work of Katherine Gillen, Adrianna M. Santos, and Kathryn Vomero Santos, the editors of The Bard in the Borderlands: An Anthology of Shakespeare Appropriations en La Frontera. This kind of scholarship makes visible the efforts of Latinx cultural producers who recontextualize the plays through the lens of race, ethnicity, gender, and intersecting identities.
Such reinterpretation is important to consider in K-12 education as it provides the opportunity for students to “talk back to Shakespeare.” Teachers can now take advantage of the publication of new works like The Bard in the Borderlands. Moving away from the basic skills of comprehending Shakespeare’s plays allows students to insert their views and critiques of society into discussions around the works. This presents an opportunity for students to connect to a curriculum that is in some ways imposed by state curriculum standards. In other words, it provides a way for students to exercise criticality and creativity.
Embracing Inclusive Pedagogy
Inclusive pedagogy plays a crucial role in reinterpreting Shakespeare’s work in the borderlands. As educators, we recognize the transformative potential of literature and the importance of creating inclusive learning environments that honor the multiplicity of voices and experiences present in our classrooms. By embracing inclusive pedagogy, we bridge the gap between the traditional canon and contemporary contexts, empowering students to reclaim Shakespeare’s texts, making them relevant and meaningful to their own lives. Inclusive pedagogy allows us to recognize and amplify the marginalized voices that have historically been excluded from Shakespearean scholarship.
Pedagogical Recommendations
The following pedagogical recommendations were developed with discussions of issues of race, representation, and power dynamics in Shakespearean and early modern texts in mind. By introducing the scholarship of Black and Latinx scholars and artists within the context of Premodern Studies, we expose students to nuanced understandings of race, representation, and the impact of Eurocentric perspectives shaping the field. This approach not only enhances the inclusivity of the curriculum but also provides students with a more comprehensive and accurate portrayal of the historical and cultural landscape of Premodern Studies and Shakespeare Studies.
However, the question remains: how can we effectively translate recommendations into praxis? The following are our suggestions for acting on these findings in the classroom.
Challenge Traditional Interpretations of Shakespeare’s Plays:
- Avoid imposing a singular interpretation of Shakespeare.
- Consider including playwrights who have reinterpreted Shakespeare, like those included in The Bard in the Borderlands.
- Foster student connection to the literature by unpacking and exploring diverse playwrights who are still rooted in the Shakespeare canon.
- Plan deeper discussions around race, gender, language, and colonialism, to explicitly unpack and identify stereotypes and biases in traditional interpretations.
Engage Students Through a Wide Array of Multimedia:
- Be intentional about choosing film adaptations, such as Sangrador (2000) or Huapango (2004).
- If the material is scarce, there are more reasons to engage students in creating their own variations and re-imaginings of the play, fostering active learning and interpretation.
Invite Critical Reflections from Students to Unpack Their Feelings Around Shakespeare:
- Do not avoid difficult conversations about the sense of alienation from Shakespearean dialogue.
Provide Opportunities for Students to Speak to Playwrights Who Have Reappropriated Shakespeare in Their Work:
- These playwrights can speak to the efforts to make Shakespeare more accessible to marginalized communities and students.
- Use video conferencing technology in contemporary classrooms to foster conversations with a wide array of playwrights regardless of their geographical location.
Create a Classroom Environment Where Students Feel Safe and Respected:
- Create a space where students feel comfortable sharing and challenging their own perspectives, even if they differ from the traditional interpretations of Shakespeare’s plays.
In making these recommendations, we are not suggesting that the original text be completely discarded in favor of reinterpretations. Rather, we invite educators to do something similar to what we experienced in the Bridging the Shakespeare — Latinx Divide working group. We immersed ourselves in the work of scholars who are actively reconsidering the long-assumed universality of Shakespeare in order to be inclusive to a greater number of voices.
However, just as we were engaged as non-early modernist students hailing from various disciplines, students can be surprised to find that their early exposures to Shakespeare will invite different critical perspectives. This is as opposed to receiving Shakespeare as the end all and be all of the English language. Through this approach, they may find they too have a place to reinvent and reinterpret to include their ways of thinking, while still fulfilling the language standards mandated by the state.
We hope that these pedagogical suggestions will foster wider discussions and avenues for continued research. Promoting critical discussions on Shakespeare across disciplines can bridge the gaps between secondary education, academia, artistic practice, and community engagement. This synergy between theory and practice fosters new modes of identification with Shakespeare’s works by underscoring the strategic appropriation of Shakespeare’s cultural capital and ensuring accessibility to diverse audiences. Reinterpreting Shakespeare through the lens of marginalized voices not only enriches the study of literature, but also it empowers students to connect with, question, and ultimately reshape the enduring legacy of Shakespeare to make it a more inclusive and relevant part of their education and bridge the gaps between cultures, disciplines, and generations.
*The other Co-Investigators on the grant include Ayanna Thompson (Arizona State University), Kyle Grady (University of California, Irvine), and Joseph Ortiz (University of Texas at El Paso).
Daniela Torres-Cirina is a Doctoral Candidate in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT), a Graduate Interdisciplinary Program at the University of Arizona. She received her master’s in Hispanic Linguistics from the University of Arizona, and a BA in Hispanic Philology from the University of Barcelona (Spain). Her research examines language contact in the U.S.-Mexico border region, bilingualism and language acquisition, as well as the use of digital tools in the classroom. She is a recipient of the Crossing Latinidades Mellon Fellowship.
Gema Ludisaca is a PhD candidate in English at UC Irvine. Her areas of research include Contemporary Latinx Literature, Children’s and Young Adult Literature, Gothic/Horror, Pop Culture, and Queer Indigeneity. Her dissertation “Brujxs, Queers, and Freaks: Reimagining Indigenous Latinidad Through the Latin@ Weird” theorizes a new speculative mode of analysis and critical framework to explore the mediation of indigenous latinidad in Contemporary Latinx Literature.
Jennifer Diana Figueroa grew up in Oxnard, California, and has family roots in Guerrero’s Costa Chica. Jennifer is a former middle school bilingual teacher in Ventura County. Her research examines how Latinx parents and families have historically intervened on education issues, challenging labels around Latinx parents and their participation in U.S. schools. She is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in the Latin American and Latino Studies department and a recipient of the Crossing Latinidades Mellon Fellowship.
