Talk by Dr. Francesca Dennstedt, Southern Illinois University
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The theoretical and critical debates, influenced by the works of writers like Cristina Rivera Garza, who views writing as a form of material labor involving bodies, alongside the emergence of autotheory as a transformative method for critiquing theory’s role in the humanities, create an opportunity to reexamine the connection between textuality, corporality, and emotions within queer/cuir studies in Mexico. These innovative writing approaches call for the abandonment of traditional interpretative methods in favor of new methodologies that can address the tangible harm caused by outdated heteropatriarchal norms. By examining my family’s history in the pharmaceutical industry in the border city of Tijuana, I propose to analyze the cross-border narratives surrounding the early years of the AIDS crisis. This analysis aims to demonstrate how these narratives perpetuate harmful notions about queer identities and migrant bodies, linked to the concept of porous borders and the permeability of other boundaries. I am particularly interested in the extra-legal trafficking and distribution of the antiviral medication Ribavirin across the border. This activity accentuated the perception of criminality associated with queer and migrant bodies, while also promoting punitive discussions about national security concerning the San Ysidro-Tijuana border crossing. Simultaneously, this unauthorized activity evolved into a cross-border organized form of resistance, exemplifying a politics of care that transcends borders. In essence, my research project seeks to explore autotheory and autofiction as tolls for theoretical and critical analysis that, within the context of the so-called “pharmacopornographic regime,” challenge both the archive of cuir/queer literature and the cultural frameworks that fail to represent marginalized bodies.
RSVP here