Connolly-Shaffer, Patricia K.2012-12-192012-12-192012-09https://hdl.handle.net/11299/141437University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. September 2012. Major: Feminist Studies. Advisors: Dr. Amy Kaminsky and Dr. Richa Nagar. 1 computer file (PDF): vi, 390 pages.Practitioners of contemporary feminist testimonios are more than writers; they are textual activists who employ writing as a social tool. Corresponding with the "deliberative" strain of testimonio (Nance 2006), feminist testimonios utilize sophisticated modes of narrative address to self-consciously direct readers towards empathetic interpretations of their works for the purpose of social change. This desired effect is realized through direct address, a focused deployment of pathos (an appeal to the emotions), and polyvocal narrative frameworks. By creating a textual bridge to bring disparate cultural and material worlds into affective proximity my study argues that feminist testimonios enact a model of cross-border feminist alliance building attentive to the possibilities and challenges of forging coalitions across social differences and geopolitical locations for the purpose of social change.en-USCollaborative methodologyFeminist testimonioLife writingPolyvocalityPost-positivist realist theoryTransnational feminismThesis or Dissertation