Masculine Textualities: Gender and Neoliberalism in Contemporary Latin American Fiction
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MASCULINE TEXTUALITIES: GENDER AND NEOLIBERALISM IN CONTEMPORARY LATIN AMERICAN FICTION Vinodh Venkatesh A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Romance Languages (Spanish). Chapel Hill 2011 Approved by: Oswaldo Estrada, Ph.D. María DeGuzmán, Ph.D. Irene Gómez-Castellano, Ph.D. Juan Carlos González-Espitia, Ph.D. Alfredo J. Sosa-Velasco, Ph.D. © 2011 Vinodh Venkatesh ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT VINODH VENKATESH: Masculine Textualities: Gender and Neoliberalism in Contemporary Latin American Fiction (Under the direction of Oswaldo Estrada) A casual look at contemporary Latin American fiction, and its accompanying body of criticism, evidences several themes and fields that are unifying in their need to unearth a continental phenomenology of identity. These processes, in turn, hinge on several points of construction or identification, with the most notable being gender in its plural expressions. Throughout the 20th century issues of race, class, and language have come to be discussed, as authors and critics have demonstrated a consciousness of the past and its impact on the present and the future, yet it is clear that gender holds a particularly poignant position in this debate of identity, reflective of its autonomy from the age of conquest. The following pages problematize the writing of the male body and the social constructs of gender in the face of globalization and neoliberal policies in contemporary Latin American fiction. Working from theoretical platforms established by Raewyn Connell, Ilan Stavans, and others, my analysis embarks on a reading of masculinities in narrative texts that mingle questions of nation, identity and the gendered body. The first chapter examines nationalism and the writing of masculinity in the context of the new historical novel, keeping in mind economic paradigms of laissez-faire, marketing, iii privatization, and the deterritorialization of economic markets. In the second chapter I examine the narrative usage of the cultural artifacts of popular music and song, both as a textuality of Latin American identity and as a political affront to the forces of neoliberal cultural imperialism. Chapter three recontextualizes masculinities in contemporary Latin American fiction through a study of the diegetic usage and characterization of space in Mexico City. I trace a practice of representation through novels from the 1970s to the early 2000s, focusing on the contemporary works of Ana Clavel. Taking into account current approaches to the study of masculinities, I conclude with an analytic presentation of new culturally-indigenous literary tropes that dialogue with globalized representations of power and gender. iv To my parents… v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are so many people to thank at this moment, at the end of what can be called a career of learning, though we all know that such a label is false, as to myself and those mentioned below, learning seems to be a never-ending source of delight and at times frustration. First and foremost I want to thank my family for always supporting me and my decisions. To my parents who always trusted in me and who never wavered in their appreciation of everything I do. To my siblings for being the two most amazing people I know, and for always caring and being there. I want to thank the members of my committee for being incredibly supportive and available throughout this process. This dissertation would not be possible without the careful readings and comments by María DeGuzmán, Irene Gómez-Castellano, Juan Carlos González-Espitia, and Alfredo J. Sosa-Velasco. In addition to being excellent scholars to work with, I can sincerely call them my friends who always were willing to go beyond the professional call of duty. I want to thank Oswaldo Estrada for being more than a dissertation director. From the first coffee we shared at Foster‟s Market in Chapel Hill, he has been more than an adviser. I have learnt so much, both as a scholar and person, from his sayings, songs, writings, and advice. Few people are as jovial, forthright, and knowledgeable as him, and it is safe to say that I would not be writing these words if not for his constant support. Working on the dissertation has been a pleasure given our frequent meetings and discussions, his suggestions vi and references, and the close editing and reading that helped me polish these pages. From being a professor to adviser to friend, I write my heartfelt thanks to Oswaldo. These pages would not be complete without mention of Shifra Armon, Gillian Lord, Pablo Gil Casado, José Manuel Polo de Bernabé, and Alicia Rivero for being excellent mentors and teachers. I am forever thankful for them instilling in me a passion for language and literature. To Montse, Alfonso, Giada, Maria and Stephanie, I thank you for the bursts of laughter and cups of coffee that got me through the MA. To Katie, Jon, Rosario, Holly, Michael, Inma, Sam, Hamilton and Suzie, I thank you for being an amazing set of friends. Potlucks, dinners, and afternoons basking in the sun with burgers and beers are the memories that I will forever cherish. Last but not least, I want to thank Mari Carmen for always being there for me and making my life easier. I also thank her for being my accomplice and partner in crime… vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………...1 II. MARKET(ING) MASCULINITIES / MATERIALIZING BODIES IN LATIN AMERICA‟S NEW HISTORICAL NOVEL………………………..45 Commoditizing Resources: The Male Body in Margarita, está linda la mar…...49 Trafficking in Masculinities in Nadie me verá llorar……………………………59 Undercover Marketing: Politics and Masculinities in La fiesta del Chivo………73 Bodies that Matter: Queer(ing) Masculinities and the Fall of the Dictator…...…82 Materialized Bodies / Marketable Bodies………………………………………..95 III. LYRICAL TEXTUALITIES: MUSIC AND MUSICALITY IN THE (DE)CONSTRUCTION OF MASCULINITIES……………………………...…99 Defining the Literary OST: Pedro Lemebel‟s Tengo miedo torero………….…104 Towards a Lyrical Epistemology of Masculine Desire…………………………115 Soundtrack, Seduction, and Homosocial Dynamics in El huerto de mi amada.....................................................................................132 Between Rock and a Hard Place: Gender in Franz Galich‟s Managua……...…147 Lyrical Desires and an Aesthetics of Resistance/Confrontation………….……167 IV. FROM THE SPATIAL TO THE VIRTUAL: GENDERIZED AND GENDERIZING SPACES IN THE METROPOLIS……………………...……170 Writing/Mapping the Subaltern Space: Los deseos y su sombra……………….180 viii Plotting Masculinity and Conceiving the Virtual in Cuerpo náufrago…………204 The Failure of Space and the Destabilization of Masculinities……………...…228 V. HARD DRIVES, CYBORGS AND VIAGRA: NEW CONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF MASCULINITIES AND THE BODY……………………………………………………………………....…..232 Natural, Comic, and Existential Masculinity in Barrio Alto……………….…..237 Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto, or Cyborg Masculinity in Tokyo…………………254 Transnational Viagraphies in Enrique Serna‟s La sangre erguida…………..…271 Writing the Male Body and Questioning Masculinity………………………….286 VI. CONCLUSION: OF TROPES AND MEN………………………………...…..288 VII. WORKS CITED………………………………………………………………..300 ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION A casual look at contemporary Latin American fiction, and its accompanying body of criticism, evidences several themes and fields that are unifying in their need to unearth a continental phenomenology of identity. These processes, in turn, hinge on several points of construction or identification, with the most notable being gender in its plural expressions. Throughout the 20th century issues of race, class, and language have come to be discussed, as authors and critics have demonstrated a consciousness of the past and its impact on the present and the future, yet it is clear that gender holds a particularly poignant position in this debate of identity, reflective of its autonomy from the age of conquest.1 I am not arguing that gender in Latin America is mutually exclusive of the events circa 1492 and afterwards, a look at the countless tales of La Malinche or La Perricholi prove otherwise, but that gender in contemporary society exists as an ontological expression that can be discussed, delineated and performed a priori to a paradigm of hybridity, conquest, and mestizaje. The construct of gender in Latin America, however, is not so much rooted in North American academic debates of performativity or essentialism, but is instead reliant on privileges and powers that leave women and non-heteronormative gender identities to the side, as subservient bodies that are trafficable and disposable. It is not surprising, then, that a 1 I use Judith Butler‟s Gender Trouble (1990), Bodies that Matter (1993), and Undoing Gender (2004) for my base definitions of the concept. I also refer to Michel Foucault‟s ideas on sexuality and the coding/encoding of the term in The History of Sexuality (1977). populist critical vein of inquiry has risen, focusing on these othered bodies in Latin American societies and fiction. Subsequently, and as I will explain in further detail, a recent interest has surged in the studies of masculinity, that ambiguous term or gender that has been pegged as responsible for the subjugation of millions. Part of this surge coincides with what has been called a crisis in masculinity, a global phenomenon that has been particularly noted in Latin America due to the traditional expressions of machismo or machista masculinity that enshrines maleness.2 By crisis, we are referring to a change of order or roles, as women are increasingly allowed and encouraged to work and lead lives that were only privileges enjoyed by men. Economic autonomy, sexual liberation, and the right to an education are some of the changes that have impacted gender politics in Latin America. These changes, in turn, are products brought about by the opening of local markets to foreign economies and economic policies, as free-trade and foreign direct investment becomes a norm in Latin American countries in the latter half of the 20th century.