Faculty Spotlight: Discovering Lost Voices

Unpublished documents from Black marginalized authors could shed light on their existence and their fight to remove the long-standing stereotypes against them, according to Maria Alejandra Aguilar Dornelles, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters.

By studying the literary works from these little-known authors, Aguilar Dornelles said her research builds a better narrative around those who were marginalized throughout the Black Atlantic, which is the history of the African descent from Africa to Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas.

In 19th century Latin American and Caribbean literature, Black men and women were often portrayed through stereotypes being the more prevalent the figure of the dangerous criminal, Aguilar Dornelles said. Her goal is to understand this construction and its impact in the society as well as its political role in the reproduction of racial hierarchies and social injustice.

“The stereotypes seen in literature bled into society and became a crucial part of people’s identity for so long. Black women for example, were educators, writers and so much more, but their stories were forgotten or never truly recognized and they should be,” Aguilar Dornelles said.

Originally from Uruguay, Aguilar Dornelles earned a bachelor’s degree in humanities and Latin American literature from the University of the Republic in Uruguay and master’s and doctorate degrees in Latin American literature from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Her dissertation further addresses questions about racial and gender identities of the Black Atlantic. For example, Black men were masculine enough to be seen as criminals, but not as heroes, she said. This shaped how so many understood literature and other forms of art, such as movies during that era, she added.

“You might think, ‘it’s fiction, who cares?’” she said. “But I would challenge you and say, we all should care because these literary figures have an incredible impact in how people imagine their world and as we understand social interaction. It is relevant because literature contributes to reproduce as well as to challenge racial disparities. Imagination is a powerful weapon, and our cultural history should reflect the voices of those who worked in plantations, but also become artists, writers, and heroes. I’m hoping to make a change and show how the work of so many people in the African diaspora in Latin America fills the gaps from a history that we’ve never heard.”

Here’s what Aguilar Dornelles’ says about her research and future goals:

Q. Talk about your journey to FAU and current work.

A. At the start of my dissertation is where I would say my work in 19th Century Latin-American literature, Caribbean and Brazilian literature, gender studies and Afro-Latin American diaspora began. After I earned my doctorate degree in 2014, I got an opportunity to begin my first teaching position as an assistant professor at the University at Albany in New York and I stayed there for five years before coming to FAU in 2020.

I learned while completing my degree that I really love reading, writing and learning. It’s why I decided to become a researcher and a teacher.

Currently, my book project, tentatively titled “Engendering Black Abolitionism,” examines 19th century Brazilian cultural productions to emphasize the political significance of female figures in antislavery narratives as a strategy to hide women's political involvement. I am focusing on four concepts — labor, justice, care and abolition. This book will also tackle, heroism, criminalization and the importance of social practices shaping Afro-descendants’ struggles in a slave society in the 19th century.

Q. What are your greatest goals and ambitions for your research?

A.My ultimate goal is to gain visibility for Afro-descendants in Latin America who greatly contributed to the history and the culture. In particular, I want to tell people how important it is to work in the field of African diaspora in terms of social inclusion and social justice. One way to understand how we should all be treated as equals is to recognize that we share the same history.

Q. What is the most interesting aspect about your research?

A.For me it’s been the writing of black women. I say that because it’s almost unknown. It was amazing to discover and realize how important they were, and to see how they wrote their Black characters as heroes to take a stand against a long-standing stereotype. The majority of Black authors were silenced in the 19th century. They have wonderful pieces and it’s lost to the public. The stereotype about them was they couldn’t be a writer, but so many were; they were novelists, poets, artists and they were good at it.

Q. Share some of your career milestones.

A.One of my first articles focuses on the poetry of Cristina Ayala, a 19th century Afro-Cuban writer. Obtaining the 2017 Ibero-American award for an Academic Article on the 19th century from the Latin American Studies Association and the Harold Eugene Davis award from the Middle Atlantic Council of Latin American Studies, this publication helped to make Ayala’s poetry accessible to readers interested in the African diaspora in Cuba.

I’ve collaborated on the volume Poems and Songs: Critical anthology of Afro-descendant authors from Latin America. I also published other Caribbean narrative and poetry in such major journals as Confluence, Meridional Chilean Journal of Latin American Studies, Afro-Hispanic Review and Latin American Literary Review. But my biggest milestone is when my students publish their work. I’m honored when I see my students get recognized for their work. I’ve seen them speak at conferences and become published. It reminds me of why I became a teacher.

Q. Do you have any advice for becoming a researcher in your field?

A.Be patient and optimistic. Working in Latin American archives I realized there is a lot to unveil, to discover, and to bring to readers attention. The stories that I am uncovering have taken time and a lot of effort to reveal, but it makes the discovery that much greater.