Realism, Myth and Spiritual Mestizaje in 'Las malas' by Camila Sosa Villada
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| Title: | Realism, Myth and Spiritual Mestizaje in 'Las malas' by Camila Sosa Villada |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Alexandra Rodriguez Sabogal |
| Source: | Hispania. 2023 106(4):611-625. |
| Availability: | American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, Inc. 900 Ladd Road, Walled Lake, MI 48390. Tel: 248-960-2180; Fax: 248-960-9570; e-mail: AATSPoffice@aatsp.org; Web site: http://www.aatsp.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 15 |
| Publication Date: | 2023 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Descriptors: | Latin American Literature, Novels, Authors, Civil Rights, Literary Devices, Literary Genres, Folk Culture, Religious Factors, Violence, Latin American Culture, Multiracial Persons, LGBTQ People, Foreign Countries, Spanish |
| Geographic Terms: | Argentina |
| DOI: | 10.1353/hpn.2023.a913696 |
| ISSN: | 0018-2133 2153-6414 |
| Abstract: | By reclaiming the power of self-definition and the use of the term "travesti" to designate their unique experience within the Latin American cultural, economic, and political context, "travesti" intellectuals have fought the dehumanization of their personhood. In her novel "Las malas," the Argentine author Camila Sosa Villada not only reclaims the right to self-definition but also connects the realistic accounts of human rights violations against "travesti" subjects with the spiritual, mythical, and religious roots of the "travesti" experience. To make these connections, Sosa Villada appropriates magical realism, a literary mode that provides the space to naturalize the presence of "travesti" subjects as protagonists of folktales, miracles, and religious narratives while denouncing violence against "travesti" bodies. In this way, the author unveils and corrects the dichotomic nature of cultural narratives that exclude "travesti" and trans subjects from religious and cultural spaces in Latin America. Moreover, by rewriting folktales and religious narratives, and by situating "travestis" as protagonists of narratives of miracles, Sosa Villada deploys "spiritual mestizaje" that dignifies and humanizes "travesti" personhood, opening previously proscribed spaces for these agents. In this way, Sosa Villada not only disrupts and expands the literary tradition of magical realism by adding the "travesti" experience to the predominantly heteronormative corpus of magical-realist narratives but exercises religious agency. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1410408 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | By reclaiming the power of self-definition and the use of the term "travesti" to designate their unique experience within the Latin American cultural, economic, and political context, "travesti" intellectuals have fought the dehumanization of their personhood. In her novel "Las malas," the Argentine author Camila Sosa Villada not only reclaims the right to self-definition but also connects the realistic accounts of human rights violations against "travesti" subjects with the spiritual, mythical, and religious roots of the "travesti" experience. To make these connections, Sosa Villada appropriates magical realism, a literary mode that provides the space to naturalize the presence of "travesti" subjects as protagonists of folktales, miracles, and religious narratives while denouncing violence against "travesti" bodies. In this way, the author unveils and corrects the dichotomic nature of cultural narratives that exclude "travesti" and trans subjects from religious and cultural spaces in Latin America. Moreover, by rewriting folktales and religious narratives, and by situating "travestis" as protagonists of narratives of miracles, Sosa Villada deploys "spiritual mestizaje" that dignifies and humanizes "travesti" personhood, opening previously proscribed spaces for these agents. In this way, Sosa Villada not only disrupts and expands the literary tradition of magical realism by adding the "travesti" experience to the predominantly heteronormative corpus of magical-realist narratives but exercises religious agency. |
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| ISSN: | 0018-2133 2153-6414 |
| DOI: | 10.1353/hpn.2023.a913696 |
