Mariana Gomez is a Ph.D. student at Georgetown University studying Latina feminist philosophy, critical philosophy of race, and decolonial philosophy. As a first-generation college student and daughter of Mexican immigrant parents, her philosophical interests stem from her political and social justice commitments. Her latest publication was for the APA Newsletter on Hispanic/Latino Issues in Philosophy in 2021, titled, Radical Pluralism and the Hispanic Identity.
What excites you about philosophy?
The thing I find most exciting about philosophy—while at the same time daunting—is the creativity making a philosophical argument demands. I truly enjoy the thought process of creating an argument after reading several books, contemplating parts of several authors’ work that I find interesting, and finally trying my best to put pieces together of a hopefully new idea. I find this process rewarding, especially because my focus in philosophy is decolonial philosophy, where my biggest challenge is to question Western philosophy itself essentially. The part of my papers where I would like to be more creative is when presenting theoretical solutions to the problem at hand. I want these solutions to be pragmatic as possible, so I can practice them with my community and see how these solutions fair outside of the classroom I find myself in.
What are you working on right now?
Currently, I am working on a paper about social death and prison archives. I still have a pretty vague idea about what precisely I want to say in the paper, but these two topics are the ones I have been most excited to explore in the last three years. I started becoming interested in archives when taking a seminar called “Knowledge and the Colonial Archive” with Dr. Shelbi Meissner, where we examined the role of archives in revolutions and colonial events. The class took a more epistemological approach when trying to answer the questions of “what is a colonial archive?” and “can we decolonize an archive?” Yet, I wondered about the existential consequences of dealing with archives. More specifically, I wondered about prison archives—that is, letters, pictures, and other documents—that tell the stories of those in prison. My preliminary questions when starting this paper were: what kind of effect do letters from people in prison have on those who receive them, like family members, friends, or partners? How does that prompt them to reflect on one of the cruelest systems in the settler-colonial United States? These questions came about due to my own experiences with receiving letters from a loved one in prison. These letters heavily influenced my schoolwork, my writing, and who I was as a person attending one of the most elite universities in the country. At times, this paper feels too personal, which needs more time, reflection, and maturity on my part, so I honor other people who have experiences with prison archives. However, everything I have written in my philosophical career has been personal to me, my culture, and my community, so I look forward to seeing where this journey takes me.
What advice do you wish someone had given you?
When I think about the beginning of my undergraduate journey, I wish someone had told me to have more confidence in myself. I was absolutely terrified about going to college after high school because I was actually discouraged from even applying to college by my high school counselor and teachers. I spent almost all four years being so overwhelmed and self-deprecating without being happy about my accomplishments. So, I wish I had embraced my talent in philosophy a little more. Today, I am sure to appreciate my work when I have done all I can to make it good. Nobody can have the same ideas or work the same way you do, so why not appreciate yourself? It is simple, cliché advice, but I absolutely needed to hear it during that time. Now, I repeat this advice to the undergraduate women of color who I know are going through a similar experience.
What is your favorite place you have ever traveled and why?
My favorite place to travel to is Mexico City, where my parents and oldest brother were born. Although I spent a considerable amount of my childhood there (as I went every summer), every time I get to go again, I feel like it is the first time. I enjoy myself the most while there because I feel so comfortable with my family. Besides that, I love that I learn so much from them and the environment around me as I listen to everyone’s stories during dinner time at my great grandmother’s house or when we are walking around the streets of our pueblo—Tláhauc. During my stay there, I am always reminded of why I care and write about the things I do—philosophically or otherwise. For instance, there are several portraits of Mexican Revolutionary Emiliano Zapata in my grandmother’s house, and the street where my mom grew up is called “Emiliano Zapata.” I tend to smile whenever I have those reminders that you can do so much if you care about your people’s liberty, land, etc.
What’s your favorite quote?
My favorite quote is Toni Morrison’s response when asked in an interview, “how do you survive whole when we are all victims of something?” Her answer is a bit too long to rewrite here, so I strongly suggest that anyone interested watch that clip online. But in the interview, Morrison’s answer is something to the effect that when one is living through incredibly difficult circumstances that seem impossible to overcome, a fearless attempt to survive whole is more meaningful than actually surviving whole. To me, this quote is gracefully life-affirming, and I contemplate it often when I am in school and I miss my community back in California that is dealing with situations far more difficult than my own. There are many times when I cannot make sense of the entirely different realities that I and some of my loved ones live, so my attempt to be fearless is using the privileges that I have to finish my Ph.D. and make them proud. In these next few years, I want to accomplish this goal while never forgetting where I came from because I consider my background to be my biggest asset.
This section of the APA Blog is designed to get to know our fellow philosophers a little better. We’re including profiles of APA members that spotlight what captures their interest not only inside the office, but also outside of it. We’d love for you to be a part of it, so please contact us via the interview nomination form here to nominate yourself or a friend.
Dr. Sabrina D. MisirHiralall is an editor at the Blog of the APA who currently teaches philosophy, religion, and education courses solely online for Montclair State University, Three Rivers Community College, and St. John’s University.
