Testimonio y trauma en El Viaje de los Niños
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2014
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Haverford College. Department of Spanish
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Thesis
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spa
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Abstract
This thesis examines an art exhibit entitled El Viaje de los Niños (2012), curated by Philadelphia artist Nora H. Litz. This exhibit is made up of ten dioramas depicting the journey from Mexico to the United States. Nine of these are made by children and adolescents, and one of them is made by a coyote, the person who is paid to help people cross the border. The dioramas are accompanied by the children's oral narration of their border crossing experience. This thesis uses the framework of the literary genre testimonio to critically analyze this art exhibit. Although testimonio is not usually applied to forms outside of literature, this thesis demonstrates that not only does El Viaje de los Niños function as a testimonio, but the testimonio framework helps to examine qualities of the exhibit that would not be apparent without the use of this framework. The framework of trauma is used to analyze the content of the narratives as well as the effect that participating in the exhibit had on the participants. Both the oral and visual narratives represent the trauma of the border crossing experience as well as the trauma of separation from family members. Producing these oral and visual narratives helped the participants to overcome their trauma through the processes of working-through and re-externalization. This exhibit helps to educate the public about the human realities of migration as well as being a useful tool for the children to process their journeys.