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I wanted to say this in class today but I didn't. I wish I had. I think we assumed in class today that motherhood is universal. I think we assumed a mother's love for her children, the ways in which she loves her children, and the unconditionality of her love is something that transcends culture. I really don't think that this is the case, and it goes back to the idea of social location. Jashoda's social location is very different than that of my mother, and in fact, many (but certainly not all) American or western mothers. Her motherhood was her income, her way of providing for her family.

In terms of suggesting a next step for our text (or other material), I would still strongly suggest us seeing Maquilapolis because I think it connects to a lot of the themes and concepts we've been exploring in the course. I certainly think that it is a fine example of a social location that most of us are not familiar with (or don't see on a day to day). And as I just discussed with Professor Dalke, this is also a way of seeing the dispossessed  speaking. Unlike Moya or Moraga, who are examples of Chicana feminists (though not representative of the Latina population by any means), the women in the film do not speak through the language of the literate (text), they communicate via film.

I think what makes choosing another text problematic when we are trying to learn about a group of people who are from a different social location, and we want to hear about that social location from its inhabitants, we don't want to hear it through an intermediary (someone who is speaking for these inhabitants; someone who is trying to represent them), they may or may not be literate. (I hope that's clear; if not... reply, please) That's what makes this film so important. These women (and of course Vicky Funari) have used a medium that rejects the traditional academic means of communication and representation.

I think Born into Brothels would also be an excellent film to see; I think that it would challenge our idea of motherhood  (if I remember the film correctly; its been awhile...)and also be a fine representation of a non-Western perspective.