Rosalie’s presentation is called “‘Held Embrujadas’: Reading Mesoamerican Myths of Femininity as a Radical Response to Contemporary Colonialism”
This paper presents a portion of my doctoral research on the cycles of waste land and borderland spaces in Mesoamerican myth. I will share an example of how an unusual reading of key Mesoamerican myths helps us move through collective shadow spaces (waste lands) into periods of reorientation (borderlands) to the whole in order to regenerate culturally and environmentally.
This exploration focuses on the critical role of feminine figures in Mesoamerican myth, which are often direly misunderstood by the Western mind. These strange, beautiful/hideous, death-adorned maternal figures shapeshift throughout myths and over time but they always serve a similar purpose: To guide us through our necessary death/life cycles and into regeneration of our collective psyche and landscape. Cultivating a deep understanding of the waste land/borderlands motif and the “dark” feminine figures at the heart of the Mesoamerican worldview is more than just an exciting mythological adventure, it is part of a radical approach to “decolonizing” the American mind.
As an educator and community organizer I use these narratives to combat the pervasive ideologies of racism, patriarchy, and American exceptionalism. I will share how I read and teach Mesoamerican femininity as a piece of a greater conversation of “Corn Consciousness,” a social philosophy I have adapted using and honoring poorly understood Indigenous epistemologies. I use these teachings in community and organizations as a guide to consciously stepping out of a hyper-masculinized mentality and into a feral feminine alignment to explore, wade through, and emerge reoriented to our collective spaces.
This presentation is part of a special panel on Confronting Colonialism and White Supremacy in Myth, sponsored by the Pacifica Graduate Institute Alumni Association.
About Rosalie
Rosalie Nell Bouck has degrees in Mythological Studies, Philosophy, and Political Science and over a decade of experience as a community organizer, nonprofit project developer, and educator among under-served populations. She has spent time living in Mexico and in Guatemala among the k’iche Maya. Her current work is as a narrative consultant for decolonizing projects and draws from her academic education, lifelong activism, and unique cultural perspectives.
To hear Rosalie’s presentation and many others, join us at the Mythologium!
The Mythologium is a conference and retreat for mythologists and friends of myth, held July 30 – Aug 1 via Zoom. Register here!