Machos, Mistresses, Madonnas: Contesting the Power of Latin American Gender Imagery

by Marit Melhuus (Editor), Kristi Anne Stolen (Editor)

Overview

Challenging the stereotypical images of the dominating male and the subservient woman, Machos, Mistresses, Madonnas addresses the variety of representations of gender in Latin American culture. Ranging across homosexuality, prostitution, football, politics and ethnic relations, this fascinating study analyzes the many potent images of gender, from Maradona, the child trickster of Argentinian football, to La Malinche, mistress of a conquistador and traitor to her nation.

Based on social anthropological fieldwork, the essays in Machos, Mistresses, Madonnas present rich ethnographic material drawn from a variety of locations in Latin America, from Mexico City to the highlands of Ecuador. Paying particular attention to the cultural and symbolic meanings of gender research in the region, together the essays reveal the central role of gender differences in the making of ethnic, national, political and economic divisions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781859841600
Publisher:	Verso Books
Publication date:	12/17/1996
Series:	Critical Studies in Latin American Culture
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.45(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Merit Melhuus has carried out fieldwork in Argentina, Norway and Mexico. She is Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oslo.

Kristi Anne Stølen is Director and Professor at the Centre for Development and the Environment at the University of Oslo. She is the author of Gender, Power and Social Change in the Argentine Prairie.

Editorial Reviews

Gender, and the breaking down of stereotypes that it engenders, is the theme of this well-written, scholarly treatment by chiefly Norwegian anthropological researchers. Ten contributed chapters cover the breadth of Latin America from Mexico to Argentina. Of special note is the editors' opening chapter, which offers an excellent introduction to the subject and its literature. Because the concept of the "macho," or maleness, is such an ingrained part of Latin American culture, individual chapter authors approach the subject through the vehicle of machismo and oppression/subordination relationships. Following the model presented by Octavio Paz in his famous The Labyrinth of Solitude, this approach focuses necessarily on sexual identity and societal roles, especially those based on Catholic teachings. Homosexuals, prostitutes, football fans, market women, beekeepers, and dancers weave in and out of this thought-provoking book. Through these research informants, the reader gains an understanding of gender problems and their implications for societies in Latin America. Recommended for academic libraries with Latin American and women's studies collections.Cynthia D. Bertelsen, Indexing Svcs., Blacksburg, Va.

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