The life histories and testimonies of nine Salvadoran women from different generations shape this intimate portrayal of contemporary El Salvador. The authors interviewed a grandmother, mother, and granddaughter from three Salvadoran families: La Familia Nuñez, members of the upper class; La Familia Rivas, from El Salvador's growing middle class; and La Familia García, from the campo, the Salvadoran peasantry. The voices we hear convey a deep sense of the world of Salvadoran women and how life is lived in that Central American country today.
Each woman tells her own life story, and interspersed with recollections of childhood, marriage, and childrearing are revealing accounts of El Salvador's turbulent political past and present. Reflected in the stories are the vast changes in educational and occupational opportunities for women and the shifts in male-female relationships. Class differences are still a fundamental part of Salvadoran life, but changes are occurring in this area as well.
From Grandmother to Granddaughter is a vivid and authentic portrait of today's El Salvador that convincingly illustrates how individual lives can reflect the larger changes within a society.
From Grandmother to Granddaughter Salvadoran Women's Stories
About the Book
Reviews
“The interviews offer an interesting read and a significant insight into the main questions that Gorkin and his colleagues set out to explore.”—Astvaldur Astvaldsson Bltn Of Hispanic Stds“From Grandmother to Granddaughter stirringly reveals nine women of El Salvador who, through their own recollections, share life and its struggles with family abuse, wars, intergenerational tensions, losses, shared memories and joys. Insightful and seamless in style, the book encourages all women and men to see ourselves through wiser and more caring eyes.”—Susan Borwick, Director of Women’s Studies, Wake Forest University
Table of Contents
Map of El Salvador
Acknowledgments
Introduction by Michael Gorkin
LA FAMILIA NUNEZ
Nina Cecilia
Monica
Paulina
LA FAMILIA GARCIA
Marfa
Lupe
Nina Dolores
LA FAMILIA RIVAS
Dulce
Nina Julia
Sara
Some Afterwords
Chronology
Glossary