This project researches the radical change that the peace treaty of the 1990s brought to Central American societies in connection with economic models. Specifically, it examines the way in which the implementation of neoliberal policies has transformed the cities concerning the spatial and the social; consequently, resulting in an important urban shift in regard to postwar cultural productions. I build a theoretical model organizes the investigation in three representative examples of Central American urban imaginaries (The Visible, The Invisible, and the Imaginable) so as to enlighten and/or enrich the analysis of the region’s urban social realities—examined in detail in a selection of six contemporary films and texts. With this in mind, I center the dissertation around four goals: to draft and explain a theory of the Central American urban imaginaries in accordance with the researched neoliberal urban theory, to illustrate the concepts of urban neoliberal utopia (overexposure) and dystopia (underexposure) represented within the cultural productions, and to display alternative ways of apprehending the neoliberal city from within such productions that escape the utopic and dystopic dichotomy (metaexposure). Through this investigation I emphasize the importance of studying urban imaginaries in cultural productions by distinguishing how these representations are themselves an invitation to be critical of the implications that urban structures bring forth for the spaces, but also—and especially—for the social body.
","abstract_html":"<p>This project researches the radical change that the peace treaty of the 1990s brought to Central American societies in connection with economic models. Specifically, it examines the way in which the implementation of neoliberal policies has transformed the cities concerning the spatial and the social; consequently, resulting in an important urban shift in regard to postwar cultural productions. I build a theoretical model organizes the investigation in three representative examples of Central American urban imaginaries (The Visible, The Invisible, and the Imaginable) so as to enlighten and/or enrich the analysis of the region’s urban social realities—examined in detail in a selection of six contemporary films and texts. With this in mind, I center the dissertation around four goals: to draft and explain a theory of the Central American urban imaginaries in accordance with the researched neoliberal urban theory, to illustrate the concepts of urban neoliberal utopia (overexposure) and dystopia (underexposure) represented within the cultural productions, and to display alternative ways of apprehending the neoliberal city from within such productions that escape the utopic and dystopic dichotomy (metaexposure). Through this investigation I emphasize the importance of studying urban imaginaries in cultural productions by distinguishing how these representations are themselves an invitation to be critical of the implications that urban structures bring forth for the spaces, but also—and especially—for the social body.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Leon Umana, Maria A"],"institution":"The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":"Latin American, Iberian and Latino Cultures","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Magdalena Perkowska"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":["Oswaldo Zavala","Paul Julian Smith"],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-02-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-02-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:00:13Z","subjects":["Latin American Literature","Other Film and Media Studies","Spanish Literature","Ciudad","city","neoliberalism","neoliberalismo","Centro America","producciones culturales","posguerra","Central America","cultural productions"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3638","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Magdalena Perkowska"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Oswaldo Zavala","Paul Julian Smith"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Leon Umana, Maria A"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2021-02-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Latin American, Iberian and Latino Cultures"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Latin American Literature","Other Film and Media Studies","Spanish Literature","Ciudad","city","neoliberalism","neoliberalismo","Centro America","producciones culturales","posguerra","Central America","cultural productions"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3638"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This project researches the radical change that the peace treaty of the 1990s brought to Central American societies in connection with economic models. Specifically, it examines the way in which the implementation of neoliberal policies has transformed the cities concerning the spatial and the social; consequently, resulting in an important urban shift in regard to postwar cultural productions. I build a theoretical model organizes the investigation in three representative examples of Central American urban imaginaries (The Visible, The Invisible, and the Imaginable) so as to enlighten and/or enrich the analysis of the region’s urban social realities—examined in detail in a selection of six contemporary films and texts. With this in mind, I center the dissertation around four goals: to draft and explain a theory of the Central American urban imaginaries in accordance with the researched neoliberal urban theory, to illustrate the concepts of urban neoliberal utopia (overexposure) and dystopia (underexposure) represented within the cultural productions, and to display alternative ways of apprehending the neoliberal city from within such productions that escape the utopic and dystopic dichotomy (metaexposure). Through this investigation I emphasize the importance of studying urban imaginaries in cultural productions by distinguishing how these representations are themselves an invitation to be critical of the implications that urban structures bring forth for the spaces, but also—and especially—for the social body.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Lo visible, lo invisible y lo imaginable: Neoliberalismo y ciudad en las producciones culturales de posguerra en Centroamérica"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Magdalena Perkowska"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Oswaldo Zavala","Paul Julian Smith"],"dc:creator":["Leon Umana, Maria A"],"dc:date.available":["2021-02-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This project researches the radical change that the peace treaty of the 1990s brought to Central American societies in connection with economic models. Specifically, it examines the way in which the implementation of neoliberal policies has transformed the cities concerning the spatial and the social; consequently, resulting in an important urban shift in regard to postwar cultural productions. I build a theoretical model organizes the investigation in three representative examples of Central American urban imaginaries (The Visible, The Invisible, and the Imaginable) so as to enlighten and/or enrich the analysis of the region’s urban social realities—examined in detail in a selection of six contemporary films and texts. With this in mind, I center the dissertation around four goals: to draft and explain a theory of the Central American urban imaginaries in accordance with the researched neoliberal urban theory, to illustrate the concepts of urban neoliberal utopia (overexposure) and dystopia (underexposure) represented within the cultural productions, and to display alternative ways of apprehending the neoliberal city from within such productions that escape the utopic and dystopic dichotomy (metaexposure). Through this investigation I emphasize the importance of studying urban imaginaries in cultural productions by distinguishing how these representations are themselves an invitation to be critical of the implications that urban structures bring forth for the spaces, but also—and especially—for the social body.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3638"],"dc:subject":["Latin American Literature","Other Film and Media Studies","Spanish Literature","Ciudad","city","neoliberalism","neoliberalismo","Centro America","producciones culturales","posguerra","Central America","cultural productions"],"dc:title":["Lo visible, lo invisible y lo imaginable: Neoliberalismo y ciudad en las producciones culturales de posguerra en Centroamérica"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Latin American, Iberian and Latino Cultures"],"thesis:degree_level":["Doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy"],"thesis:institution_name":["The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:00:13Z"}