2021/12/22 by Zaida Godoy Navarro, Godoy Navarro, Zaida
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Comparative Literary Analysis and Criticism #Latin American Literature Studies #Cultural and Social Studies in Latin America
paper · doi:10.23692/imex.11.8
pp. 103-122. In this essay I reflect upon the relationship between gender and nationality through the northern dramatist Mario Cantú Toscano and his play Memorama (2011). Depending on the historical moment, certain masculinity patterns are supported as best serving the well-being and progress of the country. I sustain that the formulation of hegemonic parameters depends on the contrast with an "other" that, at the same time, needs to be invented. As a parallel process, I consider how the north of Mexico has been recreated as a point of reference and differentiation for nationalistic projects. Memorama displays on stage these processes of identity and gender constructions, but also questions the dynamics of subordinating a mythologized "other". Cantú Toscano’s protagonists nominate themselves as models of masculinity for the country, as heroes, but amnesia and lack of information disqualify them. Both the study of masculinities and that of the representation of the north call forth a deliberation on violence. Aggression is part of the characters’ actions and reflections. On the other hand, if the use of humor in Cantú Toscano’s play lessens the gravity of the violent situation being exposed, it also leads to an adoption of violence as a constituting discursive element.