Indigenous Wisdom Conversations: The Soul Beneath the Overculture with Juliana Guererro

Where did the word "overculture" come from — and why do we still need it?In this J&J conversation, Julia Carmen and her granddaughter Juliana Guerrero trace the word back to Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés (Women Who Run With the Wolves) and Dr. Magda Permut's essay "On Overculture." Together they define it: whatever dominant force runs a family, a classroom, or a country — the hierarchy everyone quietly agrees to without questioning.Juliana, a high school teacher, uses the word with her students to talk about colonization. Julia shares the overculture she grew up inside — one that dictated marrying young and starting a family early — and reads a poem she wrote, "The Me and the Others," about being a fair-skinned Mexicana whose own brown children have called her a "white Mexican."They close on what it costs to keep explaining yourself so others feel comfortable, and where that explaining should end. The overculture didn't invent us, and it doesn't get the last word — underneath it is the Indigenous soul, older than any grid placed over it.Learn more about The School Without Walls and the Dragonfly Guides:Get your free guide: 10 Questions to Ask Your Soul SelfEnroll in The Magical PapersSchedule a free Cafecito y Chisme Call with JuliaExplore The School Without WallsProduction assistance from Podlad.com and Daypack Digital. Artwork by Olivia Dancel. Dragonfly art by Soul Creative Design.