ABSTRACT Since the time of the Mexican Revolution of 1910, images associated with this nation-defining event have been presented in an array of media and cultural productions. Within the past two decades these images have been re-imagined, re-coded and re/de- constructed in reaction to social and cultural changes associated with a crisis of political legitimation and the demise of hegemonic revolutionary ideology, as espoused by the long-ruling Party of the Institionalized Revolution (PRI), amid the generalized implementation of neoliberal policies in the county. My dissertation argues that the ascendance of neoliberalism, with the opening of Mexican economic and political systems, has resulted in changes in the socio-cultural work performed by the Revolution- Nation-Gender triad. This trinity, solidified in the post-Revolutionary national imaginary, weaves the three notions together such that as hegemonic discourses of Revolutionary nationalism enter in crisis, discourses of gender are also destabilized. The dissertation consists of three main sub-arguments. First, I argue that the discourse(s) surrounding Revolutionary heroes has been integral to the (re)definition of the Mexican nation and that analyzing recodings of this discourse through the example of Emiliano Zapata reveals a destabilization of hegemonic nationalism. These changes have allowed alternatives to surface both in Mexico and across the border as part of a recoded ii transnational Revolutionary nationalism. As cracks opened in the Revolutionary edifice allowing alternatives to emerge, they have also opened space for alternative gender discourses. I next argue that a close analysis of representations of masculine gender roles as manifested in a variety of cultural texts, specifically through Revolutionary icons Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata, reveals a crisis of the macho archetype in the contemporary Mexican nation. Changes in male gender ideologies do not occur in isolation. Finally, I argue that the polysemous figure of the soldadera has been used both to support the status quo and to embody destabilized female gender roles. As a multidisciplinary cultural study, this dissertation brings a new perspective to contemporary debates in several fields (including Mexican film, performance, theater, art) regarding the Mexican Revolution and its shifting portrayal. It further contributes to an analysis of culture at the intersections of discourses of gender and nation in the context of globalization. By studying the tension between traditional images and their recoding over time, I address how representational ruptures and continuities reflect changing political, societal and economic contexts on both sides of the border. Through an analysis of representations of the Mexican Revolution articulated in a variety of artistic and cultural expressions within and beyond Mexico, this dissertation explores the ways in which some of the main cultural, social, and gender ideologies linked to the post- Revolutionary doctrine are critically questioned in contemporary Mexican society allowing alternative discourses to emerge. iii Dedicated to my family iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I suppose you could say that “it takes a village” to finish a doctoral degree. I would like to acknowledge the many people who played a part in my doctoral village. This dissertation is truly a multidisciplinary culmination of my studies at the Ohio State University. I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Ignacio Corona for his patience with my many (extremely) rough drafts, his encouragement, and his insights on Mexican culture. His course on border studies from my first year at OSU provoked many of the considerations of border identities that have informed my subsequent work (and more importantly, was where I met my husband, the engineer with an interest in literature and culture). Committee member Dr. Laura Podalsky introduced me to the world of film studies and has been a role model as a professor and a researcher. Thank you for taking the time to read drafts and talk me through my moments of self-doubt. To committee member Dr. Ileana Rodríguez goes the credit for this dissertation topic. Upon finishing my final paper on Emiliano Zapata for her cultural studies class my first quarter at OSU, when I questioned my abilities as a doctoral student, she smiled, looked me straight in the eye and said, “This is your dissertation.” Thank you for being such a calming and encouraging force throughout my time at OSU. Other professors who were not on the dissertation committee also deserve recognition. Were it not for Dr. Maureen Ahern, I would not have attended OSU to begin v with. She encouraged me from day one and attended (and applauded) almost all the conference papers I gave in Ohio. Dr. Jill Lane first introduced me to performance studies and the Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics of NYU. Dr. Fernando Unzueta introduced me to theories of the nation and has been a source of support as a professor and department chair. The gender theory class with Dr. Rebecca Haidt led me to publish my first article and introduced me to the theory that has been the driving force of my research to date. Thank you all for your contributions to this cultural study. My father once told me that the key to success in any school or university is to find the support staff members who really run the show. The Spanish department staff (Judy Manley, Melinda Robinson, Tammy Jones and Susan Farquhar) plays integral and often under-recognized roles in helping us reach our goals and truly runs things from behind the scenes. I would also like to recognize Dr. Jan Macián whose patience, understanding and support helped me to develop my teaching throughout the doctoral program. Thank you for all you do for us, and for all you have done for me personally. People outside of academia often wonder why it takes so long to write a “big paper” and finish a doctoraal degree. Writing the “paper” is really only the final phase of an educational and personal quest that for me at least, started years ago. Long before Ohio State, other key influences and mentors helped shape me. I would like to thank Dr. D’ette Devine, my high school French teacher and the mentor who most impacted my love of language and of teaching. Dr. George Shivers and Dr. Jeannette Sherbondy encouraged me not only throughout my undergraduate career at Washington College, but invited me back to my alma mater to give one of my first lectures on “Emiliano Zapata: vi Man to Myth.” After the presentation, they turned to my parents and said, “Now just wait for the book.” It seems they, like Dr. Rodríguez, knew my dissertation topic before I did. During my four summers at Millersville University, Professor Edgar Roca challenged and encouraged me as we worked together to stage a Spanish-language play each summer in less than five weeks—from choosing the play to closing night. Thank you for indulging the drama queen in me. Along the way, many scholars, artists and friends gave advice and lent an ear. I would like to acknowledge: Dr. Francine A’ness, Dr. Stuart Day, Dr. Diana Taylor, Dr. Amy Carroll, Dr. Laura Gutiérrez, Dr. Roselyn Costantino, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Dr. Antonio Prieto, Dr. Robert Curley, Dr. Sergio de la Mora. This dissertation would not have been possible without the generosity of the artists who let me record performances and granted me interviews. Special thanks to Jesusa Rodríguez, Liliana Felipe, Carmen Ramos and Salvador Hurtado. Additional thanks to interviewees Dr. Margarita Zapata and Lucio Luna. Friends and colleagues Young Shin-Mouck, Greg Mouck, Dr. Susan Drake, Dr. Tracy Manning Muñoz, Dr. Crit Minster, Carmen Gómez, Wade Alley, Mara Fortes, Joy Place, Joyce Gray, Beth and Kelly Ayers and the Italian Girls (Colleen Justice, Athena Henry, Aletheia Henry, April Sunami, Nicole Schnabel, Veronica Váldez) helped to keep sight of the social aspects of this process and the importance of friendship across time and space. This past year in Mexico, the Fulbright Dissertation Support Group (Claudia Brittenham, Lisa Singleton, Michelle Elliot, Denise Geraci, Emily Wakild, Jenne Freeman, Dr. Laura “Jiminy” Serna) helped keep me both sane and vii on-track in the final sprint to the finish. Thank you all for your patience and insights over afternoon coffee. Several institutions made this project possible. The Cineteca Nacional and director, Magdalena Acosta; the Filmoteca of the UNAM and director, Biol. Iván Trujillo (un agradecimiento especial a Ángel Martínez, colega y amigo, por haberme ayudado tanto con mis investigaciones); the CIEC and the University of Guadalajara all aided in the research phase of the project. This dissertation was partially funded by: The INEHRM (Instituto Nacional de Estudios Históricos de la Revolución Mexicana); The Tinker Foundation (Special thanks to Dr. Fernando Unzueta and Carol Robison); The Thorn Foundation; The Arthur Meier Schlesinger, Sr. Graduate Tuition Fellowship. Although not directly funding this project, Fulbright- García Robles allowed me the opportunity to spend a year in residence in Mexico as a grantee that also contributed to this dissertation. Economic support is only one of the ways my family has contributed to this project. I grew up in a home of dedicated educators that respected, treasured and promoted learning. They always pushed me to be my best as a student and a teacher, in and out of the classroom. I attended my mother’s graduation with her second Master’s degree while I was in the seventh grade and I cheered as my father finished his Doctorate in Education several years later—no small feats with full-time jobs and two adolescent children. Without a doubt, the strongest influences in my academic life and my biggest cheerleaders throughout 26 years of school (is that possible?), are my parents. I would like to thank Frank and Betty Slaughter for all their patience, support and confidence over viii the years.