Venus Rising

ProfileIssue: Sagittarius 06

Professor Tina Escaja Inspires Women around the World

Tina Escaja teaches Latin American and Spanish Literature at the University of Vermont. She also travels throughout the United States, Latin America, and Europe speaking to audiences about poetry, her perceptions about the state of womanhood, and her vision for women. A long-time friend and mentor of mine, I often, ask myself, “What would Tina do in this situation?” Recently, I met with Tina to find out more about what makes her such an interesting and unique woman.

Where were you born?
I was born in Zamora, Spain, in 1965.

What was it like growing up in Spain?
Spain is a complex place, full of different languages, cultures and traditions. I grew up in the outskirts of Barcelona, in the Catalan Region, but my origins are Castilian. My family coexisted in this neighborhood of working class people with a variety of groups from other areas of Spain. We shared our economic struggle and huge, ugly buildings that were made of concrete. This cluster of working class people is only representative of a certain segment of Spanish society. Different class and regional groups I am sure had a completely different experience.

What inspired you as a child?
My childhood was not particularly happy, or at least that is how I remember it. It was very difficult to define myself within the restrictions of the socio-economic and intellectual limitations I experienced. I felt like a weird child—someone who questioned the things that surrounded her but without any reference or sense of support at all. I often felt, or was made to feel, that something was wrong with me and not with what I experienced as a very faulty system of values.

What was it like being a young woman in a Spanish culture?
This was part of my questioning. The “norm” attached to the role of women was quite determined and I felt a visceral opposition to this role. But Spain was not at all different from other places I have known in terms of assumptions about women. Unfortunately, my parents were particularly conventional in their understanding of my role in life: be married, have kids, no need to study, and the sort.

How have things changed since Franco?
Spain is a completely different country from the time of Franco’s dictatorship, which lasted almost 40 years. I was ten in 1975, when Franco died. I remember after his death a political and social effervescence. The move toward a modern, fully industrialized and democratic country was radical. Today visiting some areas of Spain is like moving into a futuristic, highly stylized landscape, which coexists with its more traditional, historical presence. I find the balance fortunate. However, I also feel that there is a “global” trend that makes people and countries more indiscernible. American culture and icons, for example, are found almost everywhere. I also find disheartening a general trend toward a lack of political engagement among younger people that was not the case, perhaps for obvious reasons, during Franco’s time. 

What are the biggest challenges that women face in Spain? at home? at work?
I believe the challenges are pretty much the same in Spain as they are in the United States. Women get less money than men for the same job. Women are expected to stay home with the kids, even leave their careers for that purpose. Women are the ones that bear the worst with the double duty: family/work. We are, pretty much in the same spot of a fight far from being won, or at least resolved. Perhaps in the U.S. there is more theoretical awareness. But in the practice, we are still fighting for the same basic rights.