Testimonio: Origins, Terms, and Resources

Abstract

People of color in the United States have utilized the liberationist testimonio as both methodology and narrative development. This essay provides a discussion about the roots of testimonio in Latin America and how it has been transformed, integrating qualitative research approaches, oral history, spoken word, and memoir writings by Chicanas and Latinas. The major objective of this essay is to provide guidance for the bibliographic search as a reference guide to the research scholar. Beginning with an exploration of terms used for bibliographic searches, the essay provides insight on navigating Library of Congress terms and desired outcomes in situated knowledge. A special feature of this essay is a primer bibliography organized in three sections. Part One identifies a selected list of Latin American testimonios identified as Roots/Origins. The second section focuses on Chicana/o Scholars’ Uses of Narrative/Testimonio, focusing on experiential reflections in diverse institutions, locations, and in personal writing as a methodology to conduct research and to bear witness to their experiences. The third section is called Testimonio and Dissertations by Chicana/o and Latina/o scholars, using testimonio as a methodology in educational research.

Notes

1. An analysis of these citations confirms that the use of testimonio is as diverse as discussed above. The term testimonio is deployed without necessarily reflecting a methodology.

2. For a more exhaustive bibliography see the bibliography chapter in Telling to Live (Latina Feminist Group, 2001). We use some of the same titles; however, we also include other historical materials not included in Telling to Live, and we offer more recent titles.