Abstract
This article explores the personal journey of a student filmmaker producing a documentary film with Trama Textiles, a women’s weaving cooperative in Guatemala. Using an autoethnographic lens, this article examines how the filmmaking process became an unexpected space for learning, through navigating challenges of translation, representation, cultural complexity, and global economic interdependence. Drawing from field experiences in Sololá and Quetzaltenango, I reflect on encounters with Kaqchikel-speaking weavers, the evolving role of traditional textiles within contemporary fashion systems, and the tension between preconceived narratives and emergent realities. The article questions my positionality as an outsider aiming to amplify—rather than define—indigenous women’s voices, while grappling with systemic inequalities that shape their craft. By weaving personal narrative with cultural and economic analysis, this work considers both the transformative potential and the limitations of storytelling across cultural and linguistic boundaries.
How to Cite
Goldstein, O., (2025) “Weaving Resistance, Unraveling Assumptions: A Reflective Journey in Guatemala”, Capstone, The UNC Asheville Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship 38(1).
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