Mi historia obstinada. My obstinate history; an intercultural testimony of my own diaspora

Abstract

In this thesis, I explore the journey between my worlds, the North and the South, examining the politics and poetics of diaspora. In this process I’ve assembled an archive of memory that has been complied over many years. This archive is a collection of memories and artefacts, of items that I still keep as well as items that were left behind a long time ago, and whose imprints are still very much alive in me. Furthermore, this thesis deals with art in Chile that arose out of the tumultuous period of unrest and unbalance following the rise of the dictatorship in 1973. In this thesis, I deal with artists such as Alfredo Jaar, Lotty Rosenfeld, and Eugenio Dittborn, among others. The work of these artists during this artistic period of resistance is constantly imprinted with signs and codes, as well as staunchness and obliqueness, marking a pivotal role in the continued resistance to the oppressors. Likewise, throughout this thesis I examine the ideas and the prevalently latent shift or “in-betweeness” that exists in the narrative of diaspora and in my own narrative as well. Here, I examine the works of artists, cultural theorists and writers including Stuart Hall, Edward Said, Nelly Richard, James Luna, and Salman Rushdie (among others) to reflect on how their work has influenced, shaped and directed my study of Diaspora, and to a greater extent, my understanding of the politics of it. Likewise, throughout his thesis I work to understand of the heterogeneous yet situated bodies of knowledge and experience that make up the contemporary cultural archive of diaspora. This includes various definitions of diaspora that both interrupt the text as well as enrich it.