University of New Mexico Press
Heroes of the Borderlands: The Western in Mexican Film, Comics, and Music
Key Metrics
- Christopher Conway
- University of New Mexico Press
- Hardcover
- 9780826361110
- 9.5 X 6.3 X 1.1 inches
- 1.4 pounds
- Performing Arts > Film - History & Criticism
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
Few genres were as popular and as enduring in twentieth-century Mexico as the Western. Christopher Conway's lavishly illustrated Heroes of the Borderlands tells the surprising story of the Mexican Western for the first time, exploring how Mexican authors and artists reimagined US film and comic book Westerns to address Mexican politics and culture. Broad in scope, accessible in style, and multidisciplinary in approach, this study examines a variety of Western films and comics, defines their political messaging, and shows how popular Mexican music reinforced their themes. Conway shows how the Mexican Western responds to historical and cultural topics like the trauma of the Conquest, mestizaje, misogyny, the Cult of Santa Muerte, and anti-Americanism. Full of memorable movie stills, posters, lobby cards, comic book covers, and period advertising, Heroes of the Borderlands redefines our understanding of Mexican popular culture by uncovering a vibrant genre that has been hiding in plain sight.
Author Bio
I'm a Professor of Spanish in the Department of Modern Languages at UT Arlington. I received my Ph.D. in Literature with a focus on Latin America from the University of California San Diego in 1996. Since then I have published widely on Latin American literature and culture.
I began my career as a specialist on the Latin American Cult of Simón Bolívar (1783-1830). At mid-career my focus shifted to nineteenth-century Latin American culture writ large, culminating in a book titled "Nineteenth-Century Spanish America: A Cultural History" (2015), which provides an overview of the century vis-a-vis music, painting, literature, photography, customs, and theater. My current research focus is in Comparative Literature, Media Studies, Comics, and American Studies. I'm interested in how different types of popular media, such as comics and fiction, represent identity and culture at different points in history.
Education
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- PhD in Literature
Univ of Calif San Diego 1996 - MA in Literature
Univ of Calif San Diego 1994 - BA in Spanish Literature
Univ of Calif Santa Cruz 1991
- PhD in Literature
Source: Fordham University
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