Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature Commons^™

Crítica Social Y Esperanza Para Las Próximas Generaciones: Representaciones De Seropositivos En Todo Sobre Mi Madre (1999) Y Positivo (2016), Grace Heiting

Honors Theses

This thesis criticizes the progression of the HIV/AIDS pandemic from post-Franco Spain to contemporary Venezuela through the analysis of a domestic film from each country. From Spain, the comedy-drama film Todo sobre mi madre (1999) by Pedro Almodóvar is a reflection of an earlier stage of the epidemic, when the country was challenged to recreate its political and social identities. Almodóvar’s film highlights the struggles of the LGBTQ community to transgress stereotypes (not limited to HIV) and find hope in future generations to solve the lingering social inequalities. From Venezuela, the short film Positivo (2016) from De Tovar Films is …

Los Defectos De La Perfección: Un Análisis De Los Temas Recurrentes De Secretos, Traumas Intergeneracionales E Identidades Biculturales En Yo No Soy Tu Perfecta Hija Mexicana, Tiffany Vembenil

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the social critiques by author Erika L. Sánchez in her debut novel Yo no soy tu perfecta hija mexicana (2017). This is a fictional coming-of-age story of teen Julia Reyes, who is grieving the death of her “perfect” older sister. Sánchez explores intersectional feminism, describing Julia’s struggles with gender roles, power dynamics, race, and socioeconomic status.

Sánchez employs imagery and irony to critique how the judging, silence, and secrecy that younger generations learn from their community permit predatory behavior, sexual assault, and victim-blaming. However, she also shows how keeping secrets can be a necessary evil to protect …

Inocencia Y Memoria: Reconciliando El Trauma De La Guerra Civil Española En “Aquel Abril” Y “La Lengua De Las Mariposas”, Catherine Seaman

Honors Theses

I will analyze the fictional short stories “Aquel abril” by Armando López Salinas (first written and published in 1955) and “La lengua de las mariposas” by Manuel Rivas from his collection ¿Qué me quieres, amor? (1995) in order to understand how individual reflection on the past helps us access a nation’s collective memory in order to process traumatic events and keep them from repeating. I discuss childhood innocence as a form of rebellion and free thought as power to combat violent and oppressive systems that create this trauma. The child protagonists of the two stories represent individual trajectories, but they …

La Reivindicación De La Cultura Judía En España A Través Del Turismo Sostenible, Hannah Weeks

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the Sustainable Development Goals created by the United Nations and the role that culture plays in the development of sustainable practices. Inspired by personal experiences, minority groups, primarily the Jewish population of Spain, require the implementation of sustainable tourism in order to have their legacies remembered in the present day, as well as their culture understood by travelers. In Seville, Spain, traditional tours do not emphasize the importance of the Jewish culture and its influence on the overall Spanish culture, depriving visitors of a complete overview of their destination’s development and accomplishments. Through the investigation of various …

Ecoturismo Y Empoderamiento: La Ecoinnovación De Las Mujeres Indígenas En América Latina, Kathleen Sinatra

Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on the role of indigenous women in relation to ecotourism efforts and ecoinnovation. Through an analysis of three case studies, I discuss the need to account for both indigenous people and gender when engaging in ecotourism efforts. I first engage in a literature review that develops the complex relationship between the identity factors of indigeneity and gender. I then look at a case study of the hotel Taselotzin in Cuetzalan del Progreso, Mexico in which a cooperative group of indigenous women founded a hotel. I then turn to the Kichwa community in Ecuador and the organization Amukishmi …

El Agroturismo: La Clave Para El Futuro Sostenible De España, Emma Mahony

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the possibilities of agritourism in the pursuit of sustainable tourism in Spain. It criticizes the dominant model of sun-and-beach tourism and endorses agritourism as a sustainable alternative. Agritourism is a field of rural tourism that encourages tourist engagement in agricultural activities as a means of diversifying the economy and fostering cultural competency. Through an analysis of case studies of farm stays, enotourism, olive oil tourism, and cheese tourism throughout Spain, this paper examines the social and economic benefits that agritourism extends to the provider, the tourist, the host community, and the environment. It concludes by emphasizing that, …

El Papel De La Educación En La Conservación Y El Ecoturismo En Costa Rica, Alice Sperry

Honors Theses

Costa Rica is a unique country that has some of the greatest biodiversity in the world. In order to protect this rich biodiversity, Costa Rica has developed a system of conservation and sustainability. Conservation and sustainability are two of the primary focuses of the country. Another focus of the country, since it was formed, is education. Therefore, the country has combined the importance of education and sustainability to offer environmental education programs for future generations. There are a variety of programs for a wide range of ages, children and adults. Some local people need these programs in order to get …

El Neocolonialismo: La Influencia Imperialista Del Turismo En Honduras, Kelsey Brodie

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the role of neocolonialism and imperialist forces in the development of Honduras throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. The United States was responsible for a series of coup d’états throughout the 20th century, paving the way for conformation to western and American ideals. These included several in Honduras, opening the doors to the banana farming industry which took control of the nation for decades. Later, the Honduran economy saw a shift from agriculture to tourism to comply with the new ideals of imperialist nations. While tourism continues to be a growing part of the economy, it has …

La Sensibilidad De La Lente Crítica: Las Dinámicas De Poder Y Los Papeles De Género En El Cine Mexicano Contemporáneo, China Campagnuolo

Honors Theses

This project explores the socio-cultural evolution of gender dynamics through the analysis of four contemporary Mexican films: Amores perros (2000) directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Y tu mamá también (2001) directed by Alfonso Cuarón, Las elegidas (2015) directed by David Pablos, and Roma (2018) also directed by Cuarón. These directors are part ofMexico’s cinematic “New Wave,” a modern resurgence of Mexican film that depicts a realistic side of the nation’s political, social, and economic issues. In the opening chapter, I analyzeAmores perros and Y tu mamá también, two earlier films of the “New Wave.” These movies areheavily focused on toxic …

La Reina De Los Carteles: Los Beneficios Y Los Peligros, Emily Monac

Honors Theses

This paper examines the experiences of women in real life and television programs involved with drug cartels in Mexico. For women, life centered on narcotic trade in Mexico may be framed by both terror and abuse. However, there also exists a certain power dynamic achieved by women in positions of power in cartels. These real life women are known as “Las Flacas,” a self-given label that affirms both their reclamation of sexuality and also their acquiescing to a patriarchal society. Narcofiction exists as a new art form of processing and reacting to a life heavily influenced by drug trade in …

La Economía De La Violencia: La Ciudad Juárez Y El Mercado Libre De La Muerte, Kritika Amanjee

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the utilization of human life to further the parallel economies of manufacture and narco-trafficking in Mexico. It begins by recalling the impacts of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on Mexico’s local economies. Shifts in economic dynamics that resulted from NAFTA internally displaced thousands of impoverished Mexicans, ultimately pushing them into the growing economies of manufacture and narco-trafficking. The manufacture industry and its effects on the common people are examined with a specific focus on Ciudad Juárez, a border city in the state of Chihuahua. The growth of maquiladoras attracted thousands of young women to work, …

Los Efectos Del Machismo En El Desarrollo De Los Trastornos De Salud Mental De Las Mujeres En México, Tiffany George

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the role of machismo and how it impacts women in Mexico. Machismo dominates Mexican society where men have complete authority and control over women, thus trapping them under patriarchal rule. This thesis examines how the novel, La Genara written by Rosina Conde, highlights the detrimental effects of machismo through letters between two sisters, Genara and Luisa. This study examines the ways in which Mexican women are silenced, oppressed and abused and the ways in which societal norms affects their mental state, and sometimes to mental disorders, and it also shows that in such a society, there is …

La Genara: La Libertad Falsa De La Mujer Elite En México, Emily Sullivan

Honors Theses

The goal of feminism is to ensure the equality of all genders. This goal means that women are supposed to be seen as equal to men in society. However, despite the many feminist efforts to bring this equality into reality, many in the world still believe that women are inferior to men. This belief stems from historical oppression of women that has continued up until modern day times. In Mexico, there is still strong beliefs that exist that prevent women from achieving liberation and freedom in society. Ideas related to traditional family values, machismo, and internalized misogyny all act as …

Pesadillsen El Mar: Retorno A Hansala Y La Inmigración Marroquí En España, Kent Curran

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the underlying themes and motives of Retorno a Hansala a 2008 Spanish film directed by Chus Gutierrez. Political and economic instability have contributed to migration across the world making the topic relevant and important. In the film Gutierrez focuses on migration from Morocco to Spain. Although only 14 kilometers separate the two countries thousands of migrants die every year attempting to reach Europe. In Spain many citizens feel as though they do not have a lot in common with their southern neighbors. Even though the country is now mainly Catholic Spain has a rich Islamic history that …

La Humanización Del Otro Inmigrante En Tres Libros Álbum De España Y Estados Unidos, Kathryn K. Evans

Honors Theses

In both the United States and Spain both of which have higher rates of immigration than emigration the media and many government officials promote anti- immigrant sentiment as part of a nationalistic ideology. Nationalism which uses xenophobic rhetoric to unify and advance the citizens of one country at the expense of all others allows governments businesses other institutions and individuals to discriminate against "inferior" foreigners who are seen as a threat to national identity security and prosperity. The opposing ideology cosmopolitanism views all of humanity as one entity arguing that man-made borders between countries irrelevantly divide people who are in …

La Exclusion Del Otro: Los Efectos Negativos Del Nacionalismo En Flores De Otro Mundo (1999) Y Forasters (2008), Brianna Prudencia Gutiérrez

Honors Theses

This thesis examines two films for their critique on the damaging effects of nationalism on both the native and foreign populations in rural Spain and urban Catalonia. The two films are Flores de otro mundo (Flowers from another world) (1999), directed by Spanish director Iciar Bollain, and Forasters (Outsiders) (2008), a film by Catalan director Ventura Pons, based on Sergi Belbel's play. The theoretical framework for this study is based on Michael Billig's terms: "hot" and "banal" nationalism. According to Billig, nationalism itself is the emotional and mental force that creates nation-states or threatens the stability …

Their Story Is Our Story:The American Dream And The Construction Of Transnationalidentities In The Literary Production Of Puerto Rican And Dominican Writers In The Usa, Tamara Maravalli

Honors Theses

Puerto Rican and Dominican writers in the United States express the human cost of displacement of migrants and immigrants to a new socio-cultural environment where they face discrimination, racism, labor exploitation or governmental abandonment. Many of these writers explore cultural identity of their communities and are questioning the viability of the “American Dream.” The American Dream is connected to the prevailing, mainstream social expectation of assimilation, but these communities come to the United States when the dynamics of globalization facilitates maintaining close ties with the countries of origin, facilitating the construction of transnational identities. Chapter One concentrates on Puerto Rican …

La Representación De La Familia En Épocas De Transformación: Un Análisis De La Carreta (1953) De René Marqués Y Noche Cubana (2009) De José Luis García Rodríguez, Alyssa Feldman

Honors Theses

This project investigates the dramatic works La carreta (1953) by René Marqués and Noche cubana (2009) by José Luis García Rodríguez to analyze the playwrights’ utilization of the family to represent the conditions of their respective nations. La carreta describes a Puerto Rican family during the island’s transition to a Commonwealth of the United States. Marqués uses the disintegration of the family to show his opposition to Puerto Rico’s colonial status and dependency on the United States. The struggles of the family in La carreta also express Marqués’ condemnation of Puerto Rico’s industrialization and abandonment of agrarian society. Noche cubana …

From Roosters To Talking Fish: A Comparative Study Of Hispaniolas Societal Evolution Through Folktales And Myths, Sara Block

Honors Theses

The island of Hispaniola is home to two sovereign nations with a bloody and complex history: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Their disparate experiences with European powers and colonization and their different roads to independence fundamentally shaped their cultures and current political status. The evolution of culture and the intrusions of external influences and powers are visible in the popular myths and folktales of the two countries. After a close analysis of the respective folktales through a historical lens, the thematic and structural composition of the stories suggest that Haitian and Dominican cultures are similar, but still characterized by small …

La Malinche De Rascón Banda: Deconstruyendo Un Símbolo Colonial Y Recreando Una Imagen Nueva A Través Del Anacronismo, Alicia E. Jones

Honors Theses

La Malinche has been a popular figure in the national culture not only of Mexico but also beyond its borders. Since its image is so ambiguous, it is used very frequently to symbolize popular ideas of an era. As a result, the symbol of La Malinche continues to transform. Historically, his image has characterized the traitorous woman, prostitute, and mestizo Mexican mother. In some ways this symbol has been maintained over the years, but there are also clear efforts to deconstruct this colonial image and create a more modern Malinche that is consistent with a growing interest in feminism. Introduced …

El Feminismo Antes De Su Tiempo : Escritoras Estadounidenses En La Guerra Civil Española, Julie La Spina

Honors Theses

Cuando la Guerra Civil española estalló en 1936, muchos americanos fueron a España para ayudar en la lucha contra del fascismo. Además de los 2800 hombres estadounidenses que lucharon en la guerra, aproximadamente 80 mujeres trabajaron como conductoras, enfermeras y técnicas de laboratorio. Muchas escritoras decidieron ir a España como periodistas y reporteras también. Entre las escritoras que estuvieron en España durante la guerra se encuentran Martha Gellhorn, Frances Davis, Josephine Herbst y Lillian Hellman. Es aparente que estas cuatro escritoras eran progresistas y ayudaron a iniciar el movimiento feminista a través de sus obras y sus acciones en la …