Domestic Disturbances Domestic Disturbances Re-Imagining Narratives of Gender, Labor, and Immigration by irene mata University of Texas Press, Austin Copyright © 2014 by the University of Texas Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America First edition, 2014 Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to: Permissions University of Texas Press P.O. Box 7819 Austin, TX 78713 -7819 http://utpress.utexas.edu/index.php/rp-form ∞ The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R1997) (Permanence of Paper). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mata, Irene, 1972– Domestic disturbances : re-imagining narratives of gender, labor, and immigration / by Irene Mata. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-292-77131-4 (cl. : alk. paper) 1. Hispanic American women—Social conditions. 2. Women immigrants—United States—Social conditions. 3. Women household employees—United States—Social conditions. 4. Women foreign workers—United States—Social conditions. 5. Hispanic American women in literature. 6. Hispanic American women in mass media. 7. United States—Emigration and immigration—Social aspects. I. Title. E184.S75M388 2014 305.48’868073—dc23 2014016665 doi:10.7560/771314 For my mother and all of the immigrant women who raise their children in cultures not their own Contents ix Acknowledgments 1 Introduction 26 Chapter One. Dream a Little American Dream: A Traditional Story-Book Romance 57 Chapter Two. Cleaning Up After the National Family, and What a Mess They Make 93 Chapter Three. Laboring Bodies, Laboring Spaces in the Hospitality Industry 127 Chapter Four. Calling All Superheroes: Recasting the Immigrant Subject 160 Conclusion. Resistance: A Growing Movement 167 Notes 189 Bibliography 199 Index Acknowledgments As with most academic projects, this book is the result of the encour- agement and support of many individuals. I would like to begin by offering my sincerest appreciation for the work of the cultural produc- ers who have made this project possible. Thank you to the incredible artists who granted me permission to use their work: Laura Alvarez, Adela Arellano, and Debora Kuetzpal Vasquez. Quiero expresar mis más sinceras gracias y profundo agradecimiento a Elvia Claudio por compartir su historia de lucha, perseverancia, y esperanza, y por per- mitirme a compartir sus experiencias con el resto de la comunidad. This book was made possible by the financial assistance of various sources. When I was a graduate student, my research was partially funded by a University of California, San Diego Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity Dissertation Research Fellowship and a UCSD Literature Department Year Long Dissertation Fellowship. In its later stages, this project was supported by a Susan and Donald Newhouse Center for the Humanities Fellowship and by multiple Wellesley Col- lege Faculty Research Grants. The Newhouse Center, under the direc- tion of Carol Dougherty and the coordination of Jane Jackson, pro- vided me with a place to think and write, and fostered a space for collaboration and conversation that was truly stimulating. There are many individuals whose help has been instrumental in my journey through multiple academic institutions. At New Mexico State University, I was incredibly lucky to work with amazing mentors like Catrióna Rueda Esquibel (who first introduced me to Chican@ lit- erature), Alison Giffen and Diane Price Herndl (who trained me to be a feminist educator), and Diane Bass, Maria Guerra, and Jan Farmer (three amazing women who became my family in Las Cruces). At the University of California, San Diego, I had the opportunity to work with individuals who challenged me to think of literature beyond the written words on a page. I am thankful for the unwavering support of Rosaura Sánchez and the members of my dissertation committee: Lisa Lowe, Shelley Streeby, Michael Davidson, and Jorge Huerta. I am indebted to my colleagues in the Women’s and Gender Studies Department, who have created a home for me at Wellesley College. Thank you to Sealing Cheng, Elena Creef, Rosanna Hertz, Charlene Galarneau, Nancy Marshall, Susan Reverby, and Sima Shakhsari for their mentoring, their support, and their willingness to always listen. A special thank you to Betty Tiro and Marisa Shariatdoust for their constant assistance in the daily navigating of the institution and their steadfast friendship. Thank you to my amazing research assistants, Silvia Galis-Menendez ix