From Object to Subject: The Transatlantic Migration of Esperanza Rodríguez

From Object to Subject: The Transatlantic Migration of Esperanza Rodríguez

In this Illuminated Lecture from theatre dybbuk, UCLA PhD candidate and poet Rachel Kaufman takes us on a journey from the archives of the Spanish and Mexican Inquisitions to a home in Mexico City in the 1600s. In this home lived Esperanza Rodríguez – the daughter of a crypto-Jewish father and an enslaved West African mother – who had been brought across the Atlantic from Seville by her conversa owner, Catalina Enríquez, before eventually gaining her freedom. Inspired by the form of the Talmud, Kaufman places archived objects and documents from Esperanza and Catalina – both of whom were tried by the Inquisition – in conversation with one another, alongside her own responses to the archive. Through Esperanza's story, we learn about the gendered aspects of the Inquisition, the biases of archives, the experiences of Jewish mixed-race women within the Spanish casta system, and the complexities of oppression and kinship within colonial structures.

This event combines scholarship presented by Rachel Kaufman with performances by actors from theatre dybbuk.

Tickets: $15 (in person only event)

Please email [email protected] or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.

Scholar Bio:

Rachel Kaufman is a poet, teacher, and PhD candidate in Latin American and Jewish history at UCLA. Her work explores diasporic memory, transmission, and violence and argues for the power of poetry as historical method. Her dissertation places conversas in their colonial context in New Spain, examining global trade networks and women’s kitchens and living rooms, the transatlantic slave trade, and cross-community cultural and religious exchange amongst women.

Her first poetry book, Many to Remember (Dos Madres Press, 2021) enters the archive’s unconscious to unravel the history of the Mexican Inquisition alongside the poet’s own family histories. Her chapbook, And after the fire, won the 2020 JuxtaProse Chapbook Prize and emerges from the language and myth of the Talmud, the central text of Rabbinic Judaism. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming on poets.org and in AGNI, The Georgia Review, Harvard Review, Jabberwock Review, The Dodge, Los Angeles Review of Books, Rethinking History, Diagram, The Yale Historical Review, Comedia Performance, Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, and Colonial Latin America Review. With UCLA’s Diversifying the Classics, she has co-translated several comedias(early modern Spanish plays). She was a 2023 Helene Wurlitzer poet-in-residence, a 2025 Willapa Bay AiR poet-in-residence, and a Fulbright-Hays Scholar.

CONTENT DISCLAIMER: The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed by the presenters are solely those of the presenter and may not represent those of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), its affiliates, or any individuals associated with PRS. Presentations are intended for informational and entertainment purposes.

ACCESSIBILITY

PRS wants all guests to be able to enjoy our events safely and comfortably. If you require any accessibility accommodation, please reach out to [email protected] before showtime and we will be happy to assist you.

REFUND POLICIES

All sales are final. There are no refunds or exchanges for PRS events, except in the event of a medical emergency, including but not limited to a positive COVID-19 test.

In the event that PRS is forced to cancel an event entirely, tickets will be refunded or vouchers offered for a rescheduled event.

PARKING​

We encourage attendees to consider carpooling, walking or biking to events if possible, and please be considerate of our Los Feliz neighbors when parking. Street parking is available on Griffith Park Blvd. and (after 7 PM) on Los Feliz Blvd. Limited parking is available onsite at PRS in the front lot (entry from Los Feliz Blvd. when heading east). For ADA assistance, please reach out to us in advance via email ([email protected]) or phone (323.663.2167) and provide an email or number we can contact you at.

PRS EVENT POLICIES

• We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
• Events are subject to change without notice, including guest speakers and/or performers.
• We encourage you to arrive at least 30 min. before the scheduled event start time to find parking, enjoy the Bookstore and take your seats.
• Please turn off all mobile devices before the show. Talking and texting are not allowed during the events.
• No filming, audio recording or mobile phone recording of events, screenings, concerts or other programs by audience members is allowed without permission.
• There is no smoking permitted on PRS grounds.
• We strongly encourage guests to wear masks to PRS events to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
• PRS allows Service Animals into the facility under ADA and state guidelines. For further details please visit www.ADA.gov. No animals permitted whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support, under ADA guidelines and CA Health Code.
• Please do not bring outside food or drink into PRS events.
• Weapons are strictly prohibited at PRS events.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher The Philosophical Research Society