"I don't belong anywhere. That's the problem." (In)Between ethnicities, masculinities, and sexualities in Latino American coming-of-age novels. Fanny Pérez Aronsson Masters thesis Supervisor: Helena Wahlström Henriksson Centre for Gender Research Uppsala University "I don't belong anywhere. That's the problem." (In)Between ethnicities, masculinities, and sexualities in Latino American coming-of-age novels. Fanny Pérez Aronsson Masters thesis in Gender Research Spring 2015 Supervisor: Helena Wahlström Henriksson Abstract The aim of this study has been to examine representations of Latino boys and young men in Latino American coming of age novels. Two concepts have been central to the study: positions of (in)betweenness and the ability to "fall in line" with norms and expectations. Three overarching themes are been explored in relation to masculinity. These are sexualities, ethnicities, and the representation of women. First, representations of queer sexualities are explored, focusing on the protagonists' "coming out" process and the varying reactions to this. The second part of this theme explores representations of disciplining strategies between boys and men as a means to regulating homosocial bonding and maintain the dominant masculinity ideal. The second theme, ethnicity, examines representations of "authentic" Latino identities in relation to language and bilingualism, and the link between location and identity. Disciplining measures aimed towards the protagonists, such as criminalization and dehumanization, are also explored. The final theme deals with the lacking representation of women in literature and research focused on men and masculinity. In the novels, women are depicted as confidants, present in the boys' lives mainly in order to provoke and facilitate their renegotiations of ideas regarding the previously discussed themes. The boys are represented as inhabiting positions of (in)betweenness throughout the novels, whether in relation to ethnicity, sexuality or gender. While (in)betweenness holds a potential to challenge and "worry" fixed categories, these positions are also characterized by unease, precariousness and the risk of being disciplined by other men. Key words: masculinity, boyhood, sexuality, ethnicity, Latino American, (in)betweenness, discipline, homosociality, identity. 2 Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................... 4-22 Purpose of the study ....................................................................................................................................................................... 6 The research field ............................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Positionality and reflexivity ............................................................................................................................................................ 8 Terminology: Latinidad in historical context .......................................................................................................................... 10 Method and material .................................................................................................................................................................. 12 Method and methodological approaches ................................................................................ 12 Material ......................................................................................................................................... 14 Research limitations ................................................................................................................... 16 Theoretical framework ................................................................................................................................................................ 17 Theoretical approaches: gender and masculinity .................................................................. 17 Postcolonial perspectives on race, ethnicity and violence .................................................. 19 Ethnicity, sexuality and (in)betweenness ................................................................................ 21 Disposition ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 Knowing your place - sexuality, homosociality and manhood ................... 23-41 Queer sexualities and coming out ............................................................................................................................................ 24 (In)betweenness and discipline ................................................................................................................................................. 31 Ethnic authenticity in a certain time and place ............................................ 42-66 Ethnic identity and language ..................................................................................................................................................... 43 Location-based identities ............................................................................................................................................................ 52 Racialization and animal likeness ............................................................................................................................................ 58 Worrying borders and hybridity ................................................................................................................................................ 65 Becoming men, forgetting women .................................................................. 67-71 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 72-74 Literature ............................................................................................................. 75-79 Primary sources ............................................................................................................................................................................. 75 Secondary sources ........................................................................................................................................................................ 75 3 Introduction Latinos and Hispanics make up approximately a sixth of the population in the U.S., making them the biggest ethnic minority in the country1. In spite of Latinos2 being such a large portion of the population, representation of Latinos in the media is disproportionality low in most areas: whether as news anchors, leading actors, subjects or reporters (Dominguez 2013). Mainstream media has a tendency to (re)produce ethnic and racial stereotypes in the few non-white roles featured in film and TV, often through "tokenism": the inclusion of a racial or ethnic minority character for the sake of claiming diversity in an otherwise very white-invoking cast. A 2010 study of ethnic and racial representation on prime time TV found that less than 5% of characters featured on the largest American TV networks during prime time were Latinos, when they actually make up for 17% of the U.S. population. The study also found that Latino characters were more likely than any other ethnic group to be portrayed with a heavy accent and to be less articulate and intelligent than other groups, as well as being less moral than white characters. Finally, the study found that while there were no significant ethnic or racial differences in depiction of aggressiveness or laziness, there had been a decrease in counter-stereotypical images since a similar study in 2000. This means that while racialized people are not depicted as aggressive or lazy, little is being done actively, within mainstream media, to counteract such stereotypes (Monk-Turner et. al. 2010, 105-109). Another area of cultural representation is "Hispanic literature", which has become its own category on websites such as Amazon.com and in bookshops. While this categorization is arguably problematic, it also shows that there is an interest in Latino-specific narratives. However, the narratives that are included in this category by publishing companies and book sellers might also be problematic and heavily influenced by normative assumptions of what Hispanic and Latino literature should be like, and its difference from "regular" literature, which in turn affects what is published. By studying Hispanic and Latino literature published in the US, it is possible to study the strategies for Latinos to reclaim their voices and claiming space within an American literary narrative while also offering an alternative portrayal of US in 1 Hispanics and Latinos - the terminology varies between different status and consensus surveys - make up for approximately a sixth of the US population at 17%, a total of 53 million people (US Census Bureau Public Information Office 2012). 2 For further explanation and discussion of the terminology used in this study, see the section Terminology: Latinidad in historical context. 4 contrast to the white dominated media. Whereas the media offers stereotypical portrayals of Latinos, it is possible for fictional literature to offer alternative representations. Fictional representations may be freer from clichés as