The Coatlicue State

[hollandb]

As we discussed the Coatlicue state in class today, I personally related it to Du Bois' double consciousness in a way.  Du Bois and Anzaldua both describe battling with identification in respect to our inner selves.  However, Du Bois' description entails blacks looking at themselves in two entirely different ways, hence the double in the term.  On the other hand, Anzaldua's concept adds that these multiple elements or "consciousnesses" are neither completely synthesized nor are they completely separate.  So, do you think that the struggles of identification Du Bois and blacks face can be compared to those of Anzadula and the Chicanos?  Or do you think that these two social groups face entirely different sets of problems and struggles with identification?

[marchellos]

Anzaldua explains coatlicue state by, "Those activities or Coatlicue states which disrupt the smooth flow (complacency) of life are exactly what propel the soul to do its work: make soul, increase consciousness of itself. Our greatest disappointments and painful experiences-if we make meanings out of them- can lead us toward becoming more of who we are" (68)." It is the time in which one is becoming more disconnected and becoming more conscious.  Du Bois' double consciousness is when African Americans view themselves individually and as a group through the society they live in.  They are similar, but have slightly different outcomes.  Double consciousness is "double" while the coatlicue state is the individual and what they perceive.

[xiey]

I agreed that these two points are similar but slightly different. Similar in a way that they both emphasized the double-sided quality in identity and consciousness. Du Bois and Anzaldua also both stated that this kind of quality has a potentiality embedded in it. However, they are different because Du Bois seems to take the double consciousness in individuals as a force toward justice into a broader level(group/society), while Anzaldua focuses more on its influence in personal inner state.

[Aleasha Andrews]

I agree, I feel like this has something in relation with understanding your place in society before for you can move past it and create equality. only when she reaches this point of understanding that she is oppressed, she is able to move beyond it and experience life as a more equal individual with those in her society rather than staying in the private sphere and never moving beyond into the public.

 

[johnsond]

The conditions of the Chicanos and the black folk can be easily viewed similarly. Both groups of people had their own cultures with respect to a dominant culture; however, their experiences are somewhat different. Blacks lived within the society in which they experienced this double-consciousness. In effect, their culture was heavily influenced by white society and the extremity of their isolation was not as strong as the Chicanos experience. The border people lived in an area between two cultures where they retained their own mixed culture. I feel like the isolation of the Chicano experience was much more prominent than in the experience of the black folk. Lastly, the Chicanos express themselves in a different language whereas the black folks' native tongue is the same of the white society. Thus, their isolation is a little less prevalent.

[kinnahanc]

Anzaldua's discussion of the oppression of the Chicano's really does parallel Du Bois' discussion of double consciousness. The Black folk and the Chicanos faced equally problematic issues of oppression and discrimination, but in different contexts. They are easily comparable, yet it is important to notice the key differences within these struggles. That being said, what strategies can be used to aid these problems and do different strategies need to be used for different groups? Also, are there any other groups that we can compare to the Black folk and Chicanos when speaking about double consciousness and the Coatlicue state? 

[vegliam]

I believe the concepts of double consciousness and the coatlicue state are similar, but in respect to their circumstances are unique. The way in which Du Bois describes his experience with double consciousness is in terms with his black identify and the attempt to rise above the veil he was forced behind. Du Bois focuses on the idea of himself verses the idea the community has for himself. On the other hand, Anzaldua exclaims the coatlicue state in terms of becoming more aware and conscious of the double-sided aspect of personal identity. Although they are both slightly different, both philosophers have similar ideas about the duality of personal identity.    

[godleskim]

I believe there are some parallels between the two philosophers as we've seen in the text. There is a double consciousness for all, but it relates on separate levels. I believe that they can be compared because minorities have the same baseline issues, but sprawl out based on who they are. A minority or a group, based on race, culture, gender, sexuality or anything else suffers from struggles with identification, because they have been made a minority by an imposing culture, therefore they do suffer. But how they deal with it, to what extent and in what ways they are changed/ have their identities challenged does alter between the Blacks and the Chicanos, for example.

[Tyler Manning]

There is definitely a similarity between these two ideas if you think about them in terms of finding balance between two parts of your identity. However, Anzaldua's idea relates to the inner struggle of mixed aspects of identity while Du Bois focuses more on the difference between how someone views themself and how they are viewed by society. It is in considering the relationship between outside influences and inner emotions and their effects on one's identity that these two ideas become very relevant to each other.