Embodying Difference : Scripting Social Images of the Female Body in Latina Theatre

Embodying Difference: Scripting Social Images of the Female Body in Latina Theatre explores contemporary theatrical productions by Latina dramatists in the United States and focuses on the effects that neoliberal politics, global market strategies, gender formation, and racial and ethnic marginalization have had on Latinas. Through the analysis of select plays by dramatists Nao Bustamante, Coco Fusco, Anne García-Romero, Josefina López, Cherríe Moraga, Linda Nieves-Powell, Dolores Prida, and Milcha Sánchez-Scott, Embodying Difference shows how the bodies of Latinas are represented on stage in order to create an image of Latina consolidation. The performances of a dynamic female body challenge assumptions about ethno-racial expressions, exoticized “otherness,” and political correctness as this book explores often uneasy sites of representations of the body including phenotype, sexuality, obesity, and the body as a political marker. Drawing on the theoretical framework of difference, including differing gender voices, performances, and performative acts, Embodying Difference examines social images of the Latina body as a means of understanding and rearticulating Latina subjectivity through an expression of difference. By means of a gradual realization and self-acclamation of their own images, Latinas can learn to embody notions of self that endorse their curvaceous, sexualized, and oversized bodies that have historically been marked and marketed by their “brownness.” La 4e de couverture porte : "Embodying Differences: Scripting Social Images of the Female Body in Latina Theatre explores contemporary theatrical productions by latina dramatists in the United States and focuses on the effects that neoliberal politics, global market strategies, gender formation, and racial and ethnic marginalization have had on latinas. Through the analysis of select plays by dramatists Nao Bustamante, Coco Fusco, Anne García-Romero, Josefina López, Cherríe Moraga, Linda Nieves-Powell, Dolores Prida, and Milcha Sánchez-Scott, Embodying Differences shows how the bodies of latinas are represented on stage in order to create an image of latina consolidation. The performances of a dynamic female body challenge assumptions about ethno-racial expressions, exoticized "otherness," and political correctness as this book explores often uneasy sites of representations of the body including phenotype, sexuality, obesity, and the body as a political marker. Drawing on the theoretical framework of difference, including differing gender voices, performances, and performative acts, Embodying Differences examines social images of the Latina body as a means of understanding and rearticulating latina subjectivity through an expression of difference. By means of a gradual realization and self-acclamation of their own images, latinas can learn to embody notions of self that endorse their curvaceous, sexualized, and oversized bodies that have historically been marked and marketed by their "brownness." "Embodying Differences: Scripting Social Images of the Female Body in Latina Theatre explores contemporary theatrical productions by latina dramatists in the United States and focuses on the effects that neoliberal politics, global market strategies, gender formation, and racial and ethnic marginalization have had on latinas. Through the analysis of select plays by dramatists Nao Bustamante, Coco Fusco, Anne García-Romero, Josefina López, Cherríe Moraga, Linda Nieves-Powell, Dolores Prida, and Milcha Sánchez-Scott, Embodying Differences shows how the bodies of latinas are represented on stage in order to create an image of latina consolidation. The performances of a dynamic female body challenge assumptions about ethno-racial expressions, exoticized "otherness," and political correctness as this book explores often uneasy sites of representations of the body including phenotype, sexuality, obesity, and the body as a political marker. Drawing on the theoretical framework of difference, including differing gender voices, performances, and performative acts, Embodying Differences examines social images of the Latina body as a means of understanding and rearticulating latina subjectivity through an expression of difference. By means of a gradual realization and self-acclamation of their own images, latinas can learn to embody notions of self that endorse their curvaceous, sexualized, and oversized bodies that have historically been marked and marketed by their "brownness."."--Publisher's website

Embodying Difference: Scripting Social Images of the Female Body in Latina Theatre explores contemporary theatrical productions by Latina dramatists in the United States and focuses on the effects that neoliberal politics, global market strategies, gender formation, and racial and ethnic marginalization have had on Latinas. Through the analysis of select plays by dramatists Nao Bustamante, Coco Fusco, Anne García-Romero, Josefina López, Cherríe Moraga, Linda Nieves-Powell, Dolores Prida, and Milcha Sánchez-Scott, Embodying Difference shows how the bodies of Latinas are represented on stage in order to create an image of Latina consolidation. The performances of a dynamic female body challenge assumptions about ethno-racial expressions, exoticized “otherness,” and political correctness as this book explores often uneasy sites of representations of the body including phenotype, sexuality, obesity, and the body as a political marker. Drawing on the theoretical framework of difference, including differing gender voices, performances, and performative acts, Embodying Difference examines social images of the Latina body as a means of understanding and rearticulating Latina subjectivity through an expression of difference. By means of a gradual realization and self-acclamation of their own images, Latinas can learn to embody notions of self that endorse their curvaceous, sexualized, and oversized bodies that have historically been marked and marketed by their “brownness.”

Embodying Difference 1 Contents 6 Illustrations 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction: The Theatrics of Performing Difference 12 One: Parodying Otherness: Beauty Contests, Beauty Myths, and Beautiful Señoritas 40 Two: Role Playing Latinidad: Engaging the Female Body in Diverse Identities 58 Three: Staging a Chicana and Latina Body Politic 86 Four: Marketing Difference: The “Other” Female Consumer 106 Five: Latina Bodies in a Global Market 120 Six: Reclaiming Religion: Milagros and the Sexual Objectification of Latinas 144 Final Curtain: The Exposure of Latina Bodies 180 Bibliography 184 Index 194