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University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository Spanish and Portuguese ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations Spring 4-29-2020 Science Under the Microscope and Legality on Trial: How Female Authors in Latin America Confront and Challenge the Patriarchal Control of Science and Legality in the Representation of Women Anna Bellum Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/span_etds Part of the Latin American Languages and Societies Commons, Latin American Literature Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Bellum, Anna. "Science Under the Microscope and Legality on Trial: How Female Authors in Latin America Confront and Challenge the Patriarchal Control of Science and Legality in the Representation of Women." (2020). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/span_etds/131 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Spanish and Portuguese ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. i Anna Bellum Candidate Spanish and Portuguese Department This dissertation is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication: Approved by the Dissertation Committee: Eleuterio Santiago-Díaz, Chairperson Kimberle López Miguel López Adriana González Mateos ii Science Under the Microscope and Legality on Trial How Female Authors in Latin America Confront and Challenge the Patriarchal Control of Science and Legality in the Representation of Women by ANNA BELLUM B.A., Spanish, Eastern New Mexico University, 2006 M.A., Hispanic Literature, University of New Mexico, 2010 DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Spanish and Portuguese The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico May, 2020 iii DEDICATION In loving memory of my dear friend Matthew Naegeli, who cheered for stories of female empowerment, including my own. I miss you. This dissertation is dedicated to my family, for it belongs, really, to all of us. To my dad, John, whose pursuit of science has always been pure, whose studies and dissertation paved the way for my own, and whose encouragement towards my goals was never lacking, even when I didn’t believe this was possible. To my mom, Debbie, whose love and care for language has shaped me. At a time when women had to fight for their words my mom was one of the brave who knew her own voice, and she has made it so that I don’t have to fight in the same way. To my brother, Daniel, the true scholar, who knows more than most, and yet is humble and kind in his knowing. To my sister, Rebekah, the hardest worker among us, whose dedication, both to what she does and those she loves, has changed me, even as it has set an example for me. And to my sister- in-law, Carly, who shares our family’s love of learning, and who is a perfect fit for my brother, as he is for her. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In reality I would need the space of an entire book to acknowledge everyone who deserves to be on this page. For those I have missed, I truly apologize, and hope to get the chance to acknowledge you face-to-face. I wish to give the highest acknowledgement to Professor Eleuterio Santiago-Díaz, my advisor, my committee chair, my teacher, and my friend. It is no exaggeration to say that I am getting this PhD because of him, for I learned to love learning even more in his classes. More than a degree, what I wanted was to continue working with Professor Santiago-Díaz. His profound understanding, his engaging teaching, his empowering guidance, and his generous assessment of me are what spurred me to take on this endeavor in the first place; and then, when I least wanted, to finish it. It’s possible he knows my words better than I do, and yet, he graciously lets them be mine. Thank you. I would also like to give acknowledgement to my committee members, Kimberle López, Miguel López, and Adriana González Mateos, whose knowledge and passion for the field have helped drive me at different points over the many years of this doctoral program, and whose insight, feedback, and direction have given my thoughts and words shape and meaning that they didn’t have before. Thank you. Similarly, I would like to acknowledge three professors from my Master’s and Undergraduate programs: Susana Rivera, Anne Beck, and Mary Ayala. These women each opened the written word up to me in different ways, they always believed in me, and they always challenged me beyond what I thought was possible for me to do. Thank you. There are two fellow students who have been instrumental in my graduate studies: Nohemí Hinojosa-López, my study buddy for our Master’s Exams, without whom I would not have passed; and Bryn Campbell, the entirety of my PhD cohort, without whom I would not have made any progress on my dissertation. Bryn was the friend that I needed throughout many years of writing. Our weekly appointments to write together were refreshing, encouraging, and – ultimately – effective. I miss them. Thank you. There are others who allowed me to use them as sounding boards as I worked through my own thoughts, and who helped those thoughts take form: my family and Kara Carroll are at the top of that list, but there are many friends, especially from my Hope Church family, who genuinely took interest in my topic, listened to my vocal processing like champs, and spurred me on towards my goal. Thank you. It’s important for me to also acknowledge my colleagues at Hope Church, especially Christian Schlenker, Gary Villa, Andy Cook, Catherine Noble, Adam Kane, Josh Swanson and Ryan Bestlemeyer, who have not only taken an interest in my finishing, but have had incredible patience with me over many years as I carried this burden into our office on a regular basis. Similarly, I want to acknowledge the leadership v board of my church, who have encouraged me as I worked, and who generously gave me a month of paid leave in order for me to finish what remained of my writing. Thank you. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my best friend, Alex Tennison, whose friendship has been one of the great joys of my life, and whose free physical therapy throughout my studies kept my body healthy as my mind worked. Thank you. Lastly, I want to acknowledge God, whose Word is the life source of all words, whose creativity is the heartbeat of all creative impulse, and who – I discovered during this process – in His infinite wisdom, decided to work out His good plan of salvation for the world in a way that is quintessentially female, or as one working from the margins. In such, He embedded Himself in the oppression He sought to disarm and then, when least expected, He subverted it from within. For that I am forever grateful. vi Science Under the Microscope and Legality on Trial How Female Authors in Latin America Confront and Challenge the Patriarchal Control of Science and Legality in the Representation of Women by Anna Bellum B.A., Spanish, Eastern New Mexico University, 2006 M.A., Hispanic Literature, University of New Mexico, 2010 Ph.D., Spanish and Portuguese, University of New Mexico, 2020 ABSTRACT In this dissertation, I analyze a selection of works by eight Latin American female authors in order to explore how they represent the process of the social construction of women’s identities and roles in the male-dominated social, institutional, familial, and personal spaces that force women into particular positions of subordination. This analysis will focus, in particular, on how women writers represent the hegemonic systems of legality and science in order to highlight their role in the reproduction of values, practices, and institutions that maintain male control and female exploitation. Each of the authors I analyze addresses the construction of women’s social roles and identities within the modern institutions of legality and science through their female characters and poetic voices. These authors have a discerning eye on their cultural context and, at times, a biting tongue as they demand social change and project what it could look like. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ................................................................................................................. xiii Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 Significance of Research ......................................................................................... 5 Primary Texts .......................................................................................................... 6 Relevant Literature .................................................................................................. 7 A Critical Approach to Science and Legality ....................................................... 12 Chapter Layout ...................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 1 The Triangle of Desire: A Theoretical Framework ................................... 19 Three-Pointed Desires: A Theoretical Base .......................................................... 20 The Symbol and its Functions................................................................... 26 The Appeal of the Symbolic Process ........................................................ 30 Seperable, Inherent Values v. A Natural Association of Meaning ........... 32 Conclusion

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