California State University, Northridge Telenovelas Queer Spaces in The
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California State University, Northridge Telenovelas Queer Spaces in the Chicano and Chicana Home A thesis submitted for partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Arts in Chicano and Chicana Studies By José Francisco Amaro August 2013 " " The thesis of José Francisco Amaro is approved: _______________________________________ ________________ Dr. Sheena Malhotra Date _______________________________________ ________________ Dr. Julia Balén Date _______________________________________ ________________ Dr. Yarma Velázquez-Vargas, Chair Date California State University, Northridge !!" " Acknowledgments My heartfelt gratitude goes out to everyone who helped me during my time in graduate school. I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this without your support and encouragement. I would especially like to thank my professor and chair Yarma Veláquez-Vargas. I greatly appreciate your time, dedication, and commitment in guiding me to bring my thesis to fruition. Thank you for your guidance, academic, and moral support and for the discipline you modeled throughout the writing process. I would like to thank my committee members. Professor Sheena Malhotra, your insight and devotion to your line of work influenced me to pursue my project without hesitation. Professor Julia Balén, I am forever grateful for meeting you during my undergraduate experience at California State University Channel Islands. I probably would have dropped out of college if it wasn’t for your literary theory course, back in 2005, and getting to know you as a beloved friend. Professor Balén, thank you for believing in my academic ability. You continue to challenge and transform my perception of the world, myself, and I hope to one day influence others the way you influenced me. I would like to acknowledge everyone in my Chicana and Chicano cohort and fellow classmates from CSUN, and my life-long friends from Ventura College, Robinson’s May, and Macy’s. I would like to acknowledge my family. Mother and father, I know how relentlessly both of you work to maintain a home filled with love and economic support. Mom, I never take for granted the way you show us love. I think you do too much, but I know you are a strong woman and I shouldn’t doubt your abilities and disposition. Father, even retired you still labor the land. I have never met anyone who works as hard as you do and never complains. I wish I could do more. I would like to acknowledge my siblings. The most giving and unselfish person I know, my older brother Miguel. You have provided me with many opportunities, and I will not fail you. My sister Rosa, I miss you and your beautiful children. We will have more time to share. I promise. Last, but not lease, my little brother Juan (Bloo). It is amazing watching you grow up into a responsible adult. Don’t forget how much I love you. One day we will all understand each other better. This is for all of you, with love. I would also like to thank my best friend, life partner, boyfriend, and future husband. Saul Sanchez, I love you with all my heart and soul. !!!" " Table of Contents Signature Page ii Acknowledgments iii Abstract vii Chapter 1 Telenovelas and My Home 1 Outline of Study 5 Chapter 2 Theoretical Framework 8 Critiques of Postmodernism 9 Essentialism and Gender 9 Queers-of-color and Cultural Variables 13 Queers-of-color and Interpellation 17 Towards Racialized Sexuality 23 Chapter 3 Telenovelas a Review of Literature 27 History of Production 27 Audience 32 Themes and Narratives 35 Gender and sexuality 38 Chapter 4 Methodology 46 !"# # Critical Discourse Analysis 46 Textual Analysis 49 Episode Selection 51 Chapter 5 Analysis 53 Relaciones Peligrosas, Plot summary and Description of queer character’s storyline 54 Queer Characters 57 The Dominant Narrative and Patriarchy 59 “Vidas Peligrosas” 61 Queer Macho 65 Queer Masculinity in Relaciones Peligrosas 68 “Vidas Peligrosas” and Queer Sexuality 68 “Amor Imposible” and Queer Sexuality 72 “Pasado Peligroso” and Queer Sexuality 84 Homosexuality as a Disease 89 “Lucha Por Amor,” El Gran Final, and Queer sexuality 94 Chapter 6: Conclusion 97 Significance of Relaciones Peligrosas 99 !" " Significance of Study 102 How does Relaciones Peligrosas reinforce heteronormativity and how is queer sexuality represented? 103 Limitations for this Study 110 Future Research for this Study 111 Works Cited 113 !"# # Abstract Telenovelas Queer Spaces in the Chicano and Chicana Home By José Francisco Amaro Master of Arts in Chicano and Chicana Studies This thesis examines the telenovela Relaciones Peligrosas for its representation of heteronormativity and queer sexuality. Relaciones Peligrosas presents queer sexuality along race/ethnic, class, and gender lines that upholds standardized images of queer lifestyles. The portrayals of queer masculinity are both consistent with and perpetuate social stereotypes about gender and sexuality as presented in the traditional telenovela narrative. Relaciones Peligrosas takes place, and is produced, in the United States, and targets U.S. Spanish speaking Latina/os while addressing current political issues regarding substance abuse, LGBTQ issues, domestic violence, and immigration. This project employs feminist and queer theory to conduct a critical discourse analysis of the discursive and visual representation of queer characters in Relaciones Peligrosas, and contributes to discussions critical of normative narratives about queer Latinos. # # !""# # ! ! Chapter 1: Telenovelas and My Home Viewing telenovelas (Spanish language serial dramas) was, and continues to be, a nightly ritual for my family and me. For my parents, these programs offer ways of reliving their memories and experiences from Mexico; the settings and portrayals of rural locations and cities relate to their humble and working class upbringing. My parent’s favorite telenovelas usually take place in the Mexican country side in which the rural and pueblo’s pastoral culture further engulfs my parent’s attention as it reflects their lifestyle. El campo (the countryside) and a subsistence lifestyle are relatable themes which form part of their lens when viewing telenovelas. Telenovelas as such are enjoyed because the final product, the story, setting, and characters engage our attention by providing entertainment, escapism, and fantasy on nightly bases. Through imagery, the telenovela narrative, setting, and characters not only offers entertainment values, but bridges memories and experiences that, for my parents, surface social and familial standards of living. However, for me, telenovelas additionally help define, appropriate, and exemplify gender roles that disregard queer identities. While my parents view and relate to the ways telenovelas represent Mexican society, I became familiar with themes in telenovelas under a different light. From my childhood, I recall Tu o Nadie/You or No one (1985), Rosa Salvaje/Savage Rose (1987), Yo Compro Esa Mujer/I’ll Buy that Woman (1990), and Corazon Salvaje/Savage Heart (1993), and these productions showed thematic connections between gender roles, romance, and class. The main plot usually follows the trials of a clandestine romance involving a man and woman; Rosa Salvaje best demonstrates this plotline. For me, even though these stories took place in Mexico, the portrayal of masculinity, femininity, class, "! ! and romantic storylines paralleled stories, movies, and dramas from U.S. English language television programs and films. Thus, I saw heteronormativity as a pervasive visual and ideological tool. In recent years, Rosa Salvaje was rebroadcasted, and I had a chance to once again observe the tale of a poor young woman’s journey into the aristocracy by means of a young man’s benevolence, wealth, and romance. Unlike my parents who view these programs through lived experiences, relate to the destitution of the protagonist, yet recognize the narrative as fictional, in my account, the place and space were marked with gender signifiers and class differences that had some influence on my identity. For instance, Rosa, the protagonist who was mischievous, adventurous, curious, and always dirty, was transformed, through courtship, into a proper lady worthy of not only representing the upper class, but maintaining the young man’s family prestige. Rosa went from poor and savage-like (as the title implies) to elite and civilized. So, as far as gender norms apply, masculinity was associated with economic power, assertiveness, control, and shrewdness, while femininity was presented as feeble, dependent, obedient, and controllable. I came to understand gender expectations and roles by viewing telenovelas, and other visual media. As an adult, telenovelas remain part of my daily rituals even though traditional performances of masculinity, femininity, class, and love remain a part of the narrative. However, there are more Spanish language television channels that also show telenovelas, and these telenovelas are diverse in location and setting, while still embracing the predominant themes discussed. Relaciones Peligrosas/Dangerous Relationships (2012) and Talisman (2012), for instance, use diverse settings and narrative #! ! alterations to portray more real lived experiences. Moreover, while Tu o Nadie, Rosa Salvaje, and Yo Compro esa Mujer, were produced and took place in Mexico, Relaciones Peligrosas, by Telemundo, takes place in the United States, Florida to be precise, and follows several characters’ obstacles in their quest for love. Although traditional in this sense, this production