Women and class: Power dynamics in contemporary Mexican literature and culture

This dissertation examines the representation of working-class women in the literary and cultural production of 20th Century Mexico. Chapter 2, “Sirvientas, Patronas, and Housework: The Place of Domestic Work in Mexican Culture,” looks at the relationships between women of opposing social strata in texts by well-known Mexican writers. The chapter proposes a textual analysis to explore the complexity of the power relationship between employer and employee in everyday interactions. Chapter 3, “Substitute Motherhood: Nannies in Mexican Culture,” explores the ultimately failed mothering of upper-class children by working-class women in texts such as Balún Canán, La “Flor de Lis,” and Como agua para chocolate. Chapter 4, “The Borders of Crime and Gender in Maquiladora Cultural Production,” looks at the “punishment” to which maquiladora workers are subjected for altering the patriarchal order of society. By exploring the power dynamics in the workplace, this project seeks to bring previously overlooked working-class female characters to the forefront of a feminist academic discussion.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Spanish

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2010

Author dc:creator

• Patino, Brenci

Contributors dc:contributor

• Romero, Rolando J.
• Goldman, Dara E.
• Lugo, Alejandro
• Hind, Emily

• mexican literature and cultural production
• 20th Century
• working-class women
• domestic workers
• maquiladora workers

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2010 Brenci Patiño

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/17018

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/17018