¿Apocalipsis o utopía? Contraposiciones de la cultura popular en México en el marco del Bicentenario: Volpi y Monsiváis

Abstract

This article analyzes aspects of popular culture in the context of the Bicentennial in Mexico in 2010. Carlos Monsiváis and Jorge Volpi, two representatives of urban popular culture, portray in their respective works – Apocalípstick (2009) and El insomnio de Bolívar (2009) – complementary visions of the future. Oscillating between the themes of apocalypse on the one hand and utopia on the other, both use the subversive potential of popular culture to analyze Mexican and Latin American societies. Despite the incongruities of the world in the age of globalization, they reveal that, behind societies marked by consumerism and inequality, there are traces of the ethical values of humanity.

Keywords

• bicentennial
• popular culture
• monsiváis
• volpi
• critical empowerment