Voces con eco: Cultural Productions of the Ciudad Juárez Femicides
Date
2014-03-15
Authors
Milne, Kathleen
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Abstract
This thesis provides an interdisciplinary and comparative analysis of the role of the female investigative characters in four cultural productions that center on the femicides in Ciudad Júarez, Mexico: Bordertown (2007), directed by Gregory Nava; El Traspatio (2009), directed by Carlos Carrera; Señorita Extraviada (2001), directed by Lourdes Portillo and Desert Blood (2005), written by Alicia Gaspar de Alba. The author offers a history of the factual findings and investigations of the murders in Juárez as a means of introduction to the material that serves as the backbone of each work. This thesis presents an original and unprecedented analysis in its comparison of the female investigative characters in works surrounding the Juárez femicides. It argues that the female investigative characters in these works experience a renewal of their gender, sexual and cultural identities that enables them to identify with the femicide victims. Additionally, they overcome the patriarchal and misogynist mindsets of the border culture of Juárez and extend their independent investigations to collective efforts with activists and families of femicide victims. The author of this thesis provides a thorough explanation of the patriarchal and machismo mentalities that shape the border society of Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, as well as real-life and fictionalized accounts of people who have overcome those social barriers to contend on behalf of the dignity of the female members of that society.
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Keywords
Femicide, Female investigator, U.S.-Mexico border, Ciudad Juarez, Patriarchal society, Cultural productions