Studies in 20th Century Literature Volume 25 Issue 2 Article 6 6-1-2001 (Ef)Facing the Face of Nationalism: Wrestling Masks in Chicano and Mexican Performance Art Robert Neustadt Northern Arizona University Follow this and additional works at: https://newprairiepress.org/sttcl Part of the American Literature Commons, Latin American Literature Commons, and the Modern Literature Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Neustadt, Robert (2001) "(Ef)Facing the Face of Nationalism: Wrestling Masks in Chicano and Mexican Performance Art ," Studies in 20th Century Literature: Vol. 25: Iss. 2, Article 6. https://doi.org/10.4148/ 2334-4415.1510 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by New Prairie Press. It has been accepted for inclusion in Studies in 20th Century Literature by an authorized administrator of New Prairie Press. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. (Ef)Facing the Face of Nationalism: Wrestling Masks in Chicano and Mexican Performance Art Abstract Masks serve as particularly effective props in contemporary Mexican and Chicano performance art because of a number of deeply rooted traditions in Mexican culture. This essay explores the mask as code of honor in Mexican culture, and foregrounds the manner in which a number of contemporary Mexican and Chicano artists and performers strategically employ wrestling masks to (ef)face the mask- like image of Mexican or U.S. nationalism. I apply the label "performance artist" broadly, to include musicians and political figures that integrate an exaggerated sense of theatricality into their performances.