Reframing Latin America: A Cultural Theory Reading of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

by Erik Ching, Christina Buckley, Angelica Lozano-Alonso

Providing an extensive introduction to cultural studies in general, regardless of chronological or geographic focus, and presenting provocative, essential readings from Latin American writers of the last two centuries, Reframing Latin America brings much-needed accessibility to the concepts of cultural studies and postmodernism. From Saussure to semiotics, the authors begin by demystifying terminology, then guide readers through five identity constructs, including nation, race, and gender. The readings that follow are presented with insightful commentary and encompass such themes as "Civilized Folk Marry the Barbarians" (including José Martí's "Our America") and "Boom Goes the Magical Realism as the True Latin America?" (featuring Elena Garro's essay "It's the Fault of the Tlaxcaltecas"). Films such as Like Water for Chocolate are discussed in-depth as well. The result is a lively, interdisciplinary guide for theorists and novices alike.

368 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

Reviews

[Izabella Britten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed reading this book. I read it for my Latin American Studies class and usually being forced to read books is really painful but I actually learned quite a lot, it offered some really good perspectives and in depth analysis of a lot of different films and cultural pieces. I like how it was divided into the different sections and the ideas all built off of each other very nicely.