Latin American Women On In Stages

A study exploring the role of Latina women in theater performance, literature, and criticism. Arrizón’s examination of Latina performance spans the twentieth century, beginning with oral traditions of corrido and revistas. She examines the soldadera and later theatrical personalities such as La Chata Noloesca and contemporary performance artist Carmelita Tropicana. Latina Performance considers the emergence of Latina aesthetics developed in the United States, but simultaneously linked with Latin America. As dramatists, performance artists, protagonists, and/or cultural critics, the women Arrizón examines in this book draw attention to their own divided position. They are neither Latin American nor Anglo, neither third- or first-world; they are feminists, but not quite “American style.” This in-between-ness is precisely what has created Latina performance and performance studies, and has made “Latina” an allegory for dual national and artistic identities. “Alicia Arrizón’s Latina Performance is a truly innovative and important contribution to Latino Studies as well as to theater and performance studies.” —Diana Taylor, New York University “Arrizón’s . . . important book revolves around the complex issues of identity formation and power relations for US women performers of Latin American descent. . . . Valuable for anyone interested in theater history and criticism, cultural studies, gender studies, and ethnic studies with attention to Mexican American, Chicana/o, and Latina/o studies. Upper—division undergraduates through professionals.” —E. C. Ramirez, Choice

While a feminine perspective has become more common on Latin American stages since the late 1960s, few of the women dramatists who have contributed to this new viewpoint have received scholarly attention. Latin American Women On/In Stages examines twenty-four plays written by women living in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. While all of the plays critique the restraints placed on being female, several also offer alternatives that emphasize a broader and healthier range of options. Margo Milleret, using an innovative comparative and thematic approach, highlights similarities in the techniques and formats employed by female playwrights as they challenged both theatrical and social conventions. She argues that these representations of women's lives are important for their creativity and their insights into both the personal and public worlds of Latin America.

“This collection, because of its exceptional theoretical coherence and sophistication, is qualitatively superior to the most frequently consulted anthologies on Latin American women’s history and literature . . . [and] represents a new, more theoretically rigorous stage in the feminist debate on Latin American women.”—Elizabeth Garrels, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Over recent decades, women in Latin America and the Caribbean have increased their labor force participation faster than in any other region of the world. This evolution occurred in the context of more general progress in women’s status. Female enrollment rates have increased at all levels of education, fertility rates have declined, and social norms have shifted toward gender equality. This report sheds light on the complex relationship between stages of economic development and female economic participation. It documents a shift in women’s perceptions whereby work has become a fundamental part of their identity, highlighting the distinction between jobs and careers. These dynamics are made more complex by the acknowledgment that individuals are part of larger economic units—families. As development progresses and the options available to women expand, the need to balance career and family takes greater importance. New tensions emerge, paradoxically made possible by decades of steady gains. Understanding the new challenges women face as they balance work and family is thus crucial for policy.

The Cambridge History of Latin American Women's Literature is an essential resource for anyone interested in the development of women's writing in Latin America. Ambitious in scope, it explores women's literature from ancient indigenous cultures to the beginning of the twenty-first century. Organized chronologically and written by a host of leading scholars, this History offers an array of approaches that contribute to current dialogues about translation, literary genres, oral and written cultures, and the complex relationship between literature and the political sphere. Covering subjects from cronistas in Colonial Latin America and nation-building to feminicide and literature of the indigenous elite, this History traces the development of a literary tradition while remaining grounded in contemporary scholarship. The Cambridge History of Latin American Women's Literature will not only engage readers in ongoing debates but also serve as a definitive reference for years to come.

This volume represents more than just a collection of chapters and bibliographic sources. For us, it provides another example of collective solidarity, hard work, and a relentless commitment to contribute to the process of advancing and transforming knowledge about women's condition. It attempts to update and assess how scholarship on women has impacted different disciplines and fields and examines the multivariate conditions and responses to immediate and long-term realities generated by women from different LatinAmerican and Caribbean countries. The editors hope that this publication, modest as it may be, will be a useful tool to other researchers, educators, and students in their efforts at pursuing and expanding the knowledge and visions that will make our different societies more just and liberating for all their citizens.