While reading about Chicano nationalist movement, I found out that this struggle of Mexican-Americans against an economic and social oppression by the dominant U.S. society, afterwards has not disappeared completely. Until today it inspires Mexican-American intellectuals, artists, cineastes and writers to continue the path of ethnic/cultural self-affirmation. Thus, I was intrigued about how Mexican-Americans would define their ethnical identity today in backdrop of the current demographic shift, which manifests itself in the transforming from Latino minority into the majority population. This phenomenon which the U.S. media called "browning" or "latinization" of America, was evoked due to the immigration boom in the 1990s and early 2000s along with higher birth rates among U.S. Latino minorities. In the face of this fact, the state and its institutions became more aware of its multicultural and multiracial future, and that pushed them to redefine, reaffirm or, applying terminology of Anderson, to re-imagine itself once again as a nation. Yet it is still unclear what would it mean for future majority population. According to Stephen Bochner "the cultural identity of a society is defined by its majority group, and this group is usually quite distinguishable from the minority sub-groups with whom they share the physical environment and the territory that they inhabit". Well, would this claim also be legitimate in case of the U.S. demographic shift? How are Mexican-Americans perceiving this change? Whether there are changes in their mindsets and ways they represent themselves on social and cultural levels too? It should not be forgotten that Mexican-American community lived over the history under the labels of sub-group, temporal nation builders or just minority which in subtext implies less important.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Cultural identity and biculturality
- The notion of cultural identity
- The notion of biculturality
- Chicana/o self-representation in the Cinema
- A Movement time
- Post-Movement cinema
- ANALYSIS OF THE FILM CHARACTERS
- Martin Naranja - a wanna-be patriarch
- Leticia - "la virgen"
- Carmen a "white" Chicana
- Maribel - not knowing who she is
- Hortensia - the hypersexualized stereotype of Latina woman
- Conclusions
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper examines how Mexican-Americans define their ethnic identity in the context of the "browning" of America, using the film "Tortilla Soup" (2001) as a case study. The analysis explores the interplay between Latino ethnic ambitions and Hollywood narrative conventions to understand contemporary Chicano identity construction. The methodology involves an interpretative analysis of the film's narrative and visual elements, focusing on character analysis to reveal identity formation.
- The evolving definition of Chicana/o cultural identity in the context of changing demographics.
- The representation of biculturalism and cultural identity in Chicana/o cinema.
- The influence of Hollywood's narrative conventions on the portrayal of Chicana/o identity.
- The exploration of diverse Chicana/o experiences and perspectives across generations.
- The use of film as a medium for cultural self-affirmation and ethnic identity construction.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the research question concerning the evolving definition of Chicana/o identity in the context of the increasing Latino population in the US. It highlights the ongoing struggle for cultural self-affirmation among Mexican-Americans and explains the choice of "Tortilla Soup" (2001) as a case study. The chapter justifies the selection of a feature film as a primary source, emphasizing its accessibility and importance within Chicano activist circles as a powerful medium for expressing cultural identity. It outlines the methodology, which involves an interpretative analysis of the film's narrative and visual elements, drawing on theories of biculturalism, cultural identity, and the history of Chicano cinema. The study aims to uncover the techniques used in the film to shape the construction of contemporary Chicano identity.
2. Cultural identity and biculturality: This chapter lays the theoretical groundwork for the analysis. It explores the concept of cultural identity, contrasting essentialist and non-essentialist perspectives. The discussion delves into the complexities of identity, acknowledging its fluidity and multifaceted nature, influenced by nationality, ethnicity, social class, gender, and other factors. The chapter further explores the concept of biculturality, analyzing perspectives that view it as either a dual or a blended identity, with the latter emphasizing the synthesis of heritage and receiving cultures into a unique form of hybridity. The chapter establishes the theoretical framework for understanding the diverse and complex identities portrayed in "Tortilla Soup."
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Chicana/o identity, biculturalism, cultural identity, Chicano cinema, "Tortilla Soup," Hollywood representation, Latino demographics, ethnic self-affirmation, cultural hybridity, identity politics.
Frequently Asked Questions: Analysis of Chicana/o Identity in "Tortilla Soup"
What is the main focus of this analysis?
This analysis examines how Mexican-Americans define their ethnic identity within the context of a growing Latino population in the US, using the film "Tortilla Soup" (2001) as a case study. It explores how Latino ambitions interact with Hollywood storytelling to shape contemporary Chicano identity.
What methodology is used in this analysis?
The analysis uses an interpretive approach, focusing on the film's narrative and visual elements. Character analysis is central to understanding identity formation within the film.
What are the key themes explored in the analysis?
Key themes include the evolving definition of Chicana/o cultural identity, the representation of biculturalism in Chicano cinema, Hollywood's influence on portraying Chicana/o identity, diverse Chicana/o experiences across generations, and the use of film for cultural self-affirmation and ethnic identity construction.
What are the key concepts discussed in the theoretical framework?
The analysis explores the concepts of cultural identity (both essentialist and non-essentialist perspectives), and biculturalism (considering it as either a dual or blended identity). It also considers the complexities of identity, acknowledging its fluidity and multifaceted nature influenced by various factors like nationality, ethnicity, social class, and gender.
How is the film "Tortilla Soup" used in this analysis?
"Tortilla Soup" serves as a case study. The analysis examines the film's narrative and visual elements to understand how it portrays and constructs Chicana/o identity. The film's accessibility and significance within Chicano activist circles are highlighted.
What are the chapter summaries provided?
The introduction sets the research question and methodology. Chapter two lays the theoretical groundwork on cultural identity and biculturality. The analysis of the film characters explores the diverse representations of Chicana/o identity within the film's narrative. The conclusion summarizes the findings.
What are the key characters analyzed in the film and what are their key characteristics?
The analysis focuses on the characters Martin Naranja (a wanna-be patriarch), Leticia ("la virgen"), Carmen (a "white" Chicana), Maribel (struggling with identity), and Hortensia (representing a hypersexualized Latina stereotype). These characters are examined to reveal aspects of Chicana/o identity formation.
What are the keywords associated with this analysis?
Keywords include Chicana/o identity, biculturalism, cultural identity, Chicano cinema, "Tortilla Soup," Hollywood representation, Latino demographics, ethnic self-affirmation, cultural hybridity, and identity politics.
- Quote paper
- Tetyana Lysenko (Author), 2015, Redefining the Chicano cultural identity in the film "Tortilla soup" (2001). El Nuevo Latino, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1037530
