Title
Grieving for mestizaje: alternative approaches to Maya identity in Yucatan, Mexico
Abbreviated Journal Title
Identities-Glob. Stud. Cult. Power
Keywords
Maya; Yucatan; lived lives; identity; culture; ethnicity; ELITE; Cultural Studies; Ethnic Studies
Abstract
This article takes as its point of departure the highly contested theoretical terrain of Maya identity in Yucatan, Mexico. Set in the physical terrain of a state psychiatric hospital, this article uses a framework of identity culled from the narrative of a young woman, Claudina, committed to its wards, to argue that being in-between categories of ethnic identity, an experience she characterises as a painful sense of ambiguous loss, can be fruitfully analysed using an analytical framework of ethnic identity introduced by Claudina herself. Specifically, I argue that categories of identity culled from Claudina's story mestizaje and elegancia represent a valuable opportunity to think about how power dynamics and relationships operate in situations of ambivalent identities and social suffering. To this end, I use Claudina's language as a point of departure for understanding the lived experience of everyday life in Yucatan today.
Journal Title
Identities-Global Studies in Culture and Power
Volume
19
Issue/Number
6
Publication Date
1-1-2012
Document Type
Article
Language
English
First Page
657
Last Page
672
WOS Identifier
ISSN
1070-289X
Recommended Citation
"Grieving for mestizaje: alternative approaches to Maya identity in Yucatan, Mexico" (2012). Faculty Bibliography 2010s. 3187.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/facultybib2010/3187
Comments
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