Week 3- Reproducing Empire - Sierra Cannon

This week reading of “Reproducing Empire” was one of my favorite topics to explore. It reflected upon sexuality, citizenship, science, imperialism, and reproduction among the natives of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Mexico, and U.S. citizens. In this piece, the most interesting concept was the way in which the U.S. used forced ideas of colonialism and imperialism among the native women to constitute them as being prostitutes, “dirty women”, and unsanitary to the men of the U.S. military. These actions allowed for the U.S. military men to be viewed as a nation of great value among all races and superior to all. The main issue of concern in Puerto Rico among the U.S. was sex. Sex was used as an exploitation of native women “infecting” American men with venereal disease and syphilis. These two diseases were said to have been originated among native women only.

            Syphilis and venereal disease in the 19^th and 20 the century were said to be “nasty diseases” in the blood of native women of Africa, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, etc. These diseases as mentioned in this piece only referred to women of color. White women in this mask discovery of infectious diseases were exempt. As if, their bodies could not, and would not be infected with such filth. This was a way in which the government and its officials could allow control over both the body and mind of all foreign women. In this place, women, native women that is, were voiceless, helpless, and hopeless. The idea of protecting the “white nuclear family” was not only issued by keeping these native women out of contact with White/European men and women, but also having them tested regularly under regulation and British CD Acts as a way of identifying themselves as “infected individuals.”

            In the mist of stripping women of color of all their rights, all foreign women were forced to carry a passport with them, be tested on a weekly basis, quarantined from all U.S. military men for any sexual activity, and were sentenced to prison time if any of these “laws” were broken. This allowed U.S. control in every aspect of life for native women. Their voices were silenced, and they were further placed into categories of “major difference” and “defected/infected individuals”, and were used only at the expense of science when saw fit by U.S. physicians. These physicians tested these “prostitutes” for venereal disease and syphilis on a weekly basis to ensure no contact with the opposite White male sex. Other women who were found not to be infected were allowed to have sex with White men at any time upon request. What exactly did colonial rule and imperialism imply? Women, native women, had absolutely no rights over their own bodies, how could any government see fit for this ideology to be correct?

            The construction behind the ways in which sex and science are reproduced are only in the mindset of the colonizer. The voices later presented by feminists groups WWCTU, and women activists spoke on behalf of a body of women to which they were not a part of. Sure, there intentions were great, but what about the voices of those sick “infected” women who were tormented in jail without food, whose bodies were used in a science laboratory? A piece of their anger, sadness, and hope was given, but what about their agency, their voice, and their choice? Were these women allowed any rights even after the abolishment of prostitution, or were they just dust under the rug in contrast to greater foreign policy of concern? Were they important even the slightest amount?