Teresita Martínez-Vergne

from the Macalester Public Knowledge Base

Yo creo que uno se forma su identidad en el local donde uno vive. (I believe that every person forms one's own identity in the place one lives.)

Professor Martínez-Vergne teaches survey courses on Latin America and the Caribbean and more specialized ones on the workings of gender and race on notions of citizenship within the discourse of nationalism, the subject of her current research. Her publications focus on the transition from slave to wage labor in the Puerto Rican sugar industry, the position of subaltern groups in the discourse of space in 19th century San Juan, and on working class and bourgeois women, immigrants, and working class men in the Dominican Republic. She is a 2002-2003 National Humanities Center fellow.

from the History Department website, May 2004

Among her classes, professor Teresita Martínez loves "Politics of Food in Latin America" for which she is constantly updating herself. She has recently finished a book manuscript entitled Notions of Citizenship in the Dominican Republic: 1870-1916.

The following interview was done as part of profiling latino professors at Macalester for the benefit of latino students during the Latino Heritage Month of 2003, an initiative of Daniela Ramírez Camacho '05.

Yongho did the interview in spanish, and the translated transcript was returned to professor Teresita Martínez Vergne for comments. What follows is the edition that she agreed upon.

¡No beso a mis colegas! (I don't kiss my colleagues!)

Yongho Kim: Hello Professor Teresita Martínez! The purpose of this interview was to get to profile our Latino or Hispanic professors so that other students could get to know you more easily. We at ¡Adelante! wanted to make this one of the features of the Latino Heritage Month. The first question is, How did you arrive to the U.S.?, and linked to this, how did you come to Macalester?

Teresita Martíne- Vergne: I came to the U.S. for my undergraduate studies at Emory University, and then did graduate work at the University of Texas - Austin. I graduated in '85 and taught at Colgate for two years, and then at the University of Puerto Rico for another two years. For personal reasons, I came to Minnesota. Macalester contacted me for an open position. Back then, I didn't really know where Minnesota was.

Y: So it was through Macalester that you came to Minnesota.

T: It was what used to be called "Targeted Hiring." The History Department put in a request for a professor of Latin American History. The committee goes through many candidates' profiles, and in the process somebody recommended me. So I had an interview, The Department of History and I liked each other. I like to say that I fell in love with the college, so I accepted the offer.

Y: Moving on to another issue - taking into consideration that you already had done academic work in the U.S., did you find a personal or professional difference between your teaching in Puerto Rico and your teaching in Macalester?

T: That's an interesting issue. Let's start with Colgate. Colgate students were highly qualified; good SAT scores, very prepared academically, etc. But these students weren't really into their education. Now that I think about it, they had a rather narrow vision of the world. I wasn't too happy at Colgate. In Puerto Rico, despite the many socioeconomic and institutional hardships, students put much effort in their education and excelled in classes. They were highly committed to the process of learning: showed up at all classes, did readings on time, came to my office for questions.

In a sense, Macalester has got the best of both worlds. Students put much effort into the learning process, plus they have access to every kind of resource you could think of. For example, the library. Even though it’s small, you can get any book through interlibrary loan. Furthermore, there is a sense of cultural understanding. At Colgate you had to explain some very basic things in class, but here students already come with it. They have traveled and have received good exposure by the time they get here. It is an ideal setting.

Y: Could you elaborate in the "narrow vision" that you observed in Colgate students?

T: In general, Colgate students come from business backgrounds. I guess they can get jobs with their parents, or parents' friends, upon graduation. They're quite focused in what it is what they want.

Y: But wasn't that more like a 80's phenomenon?

T: Not really. I was there four years ago, and it's the same. Of course, there's always all kinds of students in every place. But in general, they are more interested in their professional careers, in getting the knowledge for their own advancement -- very different from what you see at Macalester.

Yongho Kim: Let's switch topics. Do you think that the environment offered by Macalester, one in which different attitudes and knowledge from many countries are transmitted and also valued, has influenced, maybe fostered or hindered in your identity as Latina? Ah, I haven't yet asked you on whether you identify yourself as Latina. Let's phrase it this way: Has the overall climate in Macalester been an influence to your identity?

Teresita Martínez -Vergne: Let's start saying that I am Puerto Rican, which is a narrower concept than "Latina." There are also other terms, such as "Hispanic," which is another name adopted by many, and carries other connotations. All these terms, be it "Latina," or "puertorriqueña," or "caribeña," each contain elements that the other does not. I think that anybody should be able to identify him or herself with a group, as social exigencies change. For instance, I don't think it is fair to say that Mexican-Americans, or any immigrant population for that matter, who have little or no contact with their home country, are "less Mexican” because of that. I believe that every person forms his or her own identity in the place one lives.

Y: Is it so because there are different ways of being Latino?

T: Sort of, but it's more because the "way of being Latino" is constantly transformed and influenced by the cultural environment in which you live. Many Chicanos do not speak Spanish. This is also true of the Puerto Rican population in New York City. For many of them it has become hard to communicate with the other Latino populations, such as Argentineans. But is language fundamental to cultural identity? In a sense, yes. but there are many other ways in which you may relate yourself with a group. And it might happen that a group has such a peculiar experience, it is able to establish a very localized identity, for example, the Puerto Rican community in New York as different from the one in Chicago. There isn't really an organized [Puerto Rican] community in the Twin Cities - but I am not the person who would be most informed on how to evaluate that.

Y: Stepping back, do you think that there have been elements in the Macalester community, that might have influenced your identity as Latina, puertorriqueña, or Caribeña?

T: Maybe I haven't been answering you directly. This is a place where you will not find Puerto Ricans or Latinos on the street. Of course, you can go to the West Side and meet people. But sometimes I may go entire months without speaking Spanish with anybody except my daughter.

Y: Don't Puerto Rican students spontaneously show up at your office to say hi?

T: Last year I was away. And I think there aren't many Puerto Ricans at Macalester. There are some Latino students in my History of Modern Spanish America class. You see, courses on African American Studies attract many African American students. And I wonder if it might not be the case with Latino students, since not many seem to take courses in Latin American History.

Y: Do you think that maybe you are a bit isolated, with respect to the community?

T: Well, definitely I can speak Spanish with Tony Dorca or Rogelio. Despite what I have previously said, language seems important -- it is a marker of culture. As is, for example, kissing people as a greeting. It is a way of connecting to people that is just not commonly used here.

Y: I assume you don't kiss other professors here.

T: No, I don't kiss my colleagues!

Yongho Kim: Well, this is the interview. I will summarize this and send it to you so that you can have a look at it.

Teresita Martínez-Vergne: Yes, I was going to talk to you about that. A group of girls interviewed me before, and they misspelled words, wrote things in the same way I said it without considering non-verbal communication, and sometimes I sound downright stupid. [She refers to an interview conducted as a Walker Arts project in the Spring of 2000. Among other things, they wrote "MacAlester" as well as "Macalaster"]

Y: Yes, I completely agree with you. Nuances in a conversation are important. I would also like to ask you a little bit about your formal academic work. Among the classes you taught, in which ones did you feel there is a constant encounter?

T: Definitely Politics of Food in Latin America. Other courses might be Women in Latin America, or Status and Privilege in the Colonial World.

Y: I imagine Politics of Food is remarkable in that the problem is being approached in an unusual way.

T: The sheer number of books on the subject may surprise you. Furthermore, since this is not my specialty, I need to read a bunch of new books every time I teach the class. (Oh, so it is a learning experience for you as well!) Of course! I love it. There have been a lot of writings on agriculture, policies among different countries, women in the development process. [Professor Itzkowitz comes in to give a folder to Prof. Martínez] Ah, this folder is for a team-taught class, the Senior Seminar. It is a lot of work - but very rewarding! When students turn in papers, we split them three ways and circulate them so that the three of us read all papers (Is this something that has started this year?) No, it's been around for three years. There was a lot of planning for this class. In a team of three professors, two are "old," that is, they taught it the previous year, and one is "new." I am the new professor in the seminar.

Y: We can read your interests at the department website; but as of right now, what is the focus of your research and academic interests?

T: I have just finished a book manuscript entitled "Notions of Citizenship in the Dominican Republic: 1870-1916." It deals with the concept elites had of who would end up belonging to the nation, and also with common peoples, who struggle to leave their mark and to participate in the community as citizens. I have focused on three groups: bourgeois women, working class women and men, and immigrants. The Dominican Republic’s long-time dictator was assassinated in 1899, so this was a key moment in history to initiate a dialogue about these issues. But of course, the United States invaded The Dominican Republic in 1916, and the opportunity was lost.

Y: Thank you so much for your time!

T: Thanks to you!

This interview was exhibited in the basement of the Campus Center durin the second week of October 2003.

E-mail: martinez@macalester.edu