Re-contextualización y re-politización: La conquista actualizada en La Malinche (1998) de Víctor Hugo Rascón Banda

Abstract

Mexican identity is characterized by a mixture of different identities and defined by an interaction of very different concepts (mestizaje, mexicanidad, indigenismo and others) which connect history with the present and thus negotiate local traditions as well as global changes. The piece La Malinche by Víctor Hugo Rascón Banda (1998) deals with these different concepts from a critical point of view by transferring the history of the Conquest of Mexico to the present situation of the country at the end of the millennium. Considering discursive and aesthetic aspects of both the drama and the staging, the essay explores to what extent the identities offered by Rascón Banda in his drama can be defined as ‘glocal’ identities and how, for example, ethnic conflicts, social class differences and race discrimination in current Mexican society can be seen as results of an ongoing process of globalization and neoliberal tendencies since the 1980s. The historical conquest thus reflects current debates on globalization, neoliberalism and democratization, with the historical character of La Malinche playing a special role as a psychological mirror of modern Mexican society and as a model for a critical revision of established constructions of identity.

Keywords

• contextualization
• la malinche
• politization
• victor hugo rascón banda