Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures

Permanent URI for this community

https://hdl.handle.net/10217/100428

This digital collection includes theses and dissertations from the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. Due to departmental name changes, materials from the following historical department are also included here: Foreign Languages, Foreign Languages and Literatures.

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 36

Open Access
Motifs, l'art et les moyens, Les: la reussite des contes de fee de Perrault et des freres Grimm
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2009) Rose, Elizabeth, author; Vogl, Mary, advisor; Malpezzi-Price, Paola, committee member; Margolf, Diane, committee member
Although many French and German authors have produced fairy tale collections, those of Charles Perrault and Wilhelm and Jakob Grimm are the best-selling non-religious literary works of all time in these two countries. In an attempt to understand the underlying reasons for the popularity of the fairy tale genre in general, scholars have explored the social, cultural, psychological and feminist context in which they were collected. However, an important question that has not been addressed, is why the collections of Perrault and the Grimm brothers, in particular, had such a resounding impact when they were first collected, and why they have maintained their popularity over time. This research directly addresses the above question by looking at three different socio-political areas in XVIIth century France and XIXth century Germany – the periods in which the Perrault and Grimm fairy tale collections first appeared. First, the study examines the level of literacy and access to free, public education for males. Second, the study explores the social attitudes of the French nobility toward the absolutist regime of Louis XIV and of the German populace toward the French occupation of Germany by Napoleon I. Third, this study looks at the methods of distribution that facilitated the dissemination of the Perrault and the Grimm brothers fairy tales to a large reading public. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of the specific literary contributions made by these authors to the fairy tale genre that contributed significantly to the success of their collections. By limiting the study of fairy tales to the two most important collections in Western Europe, it becomes clear that their popularity is due to a complex mixture of social and political reasons, as well as to the literary skill of the authors.
Open Access
Les identités françaises selon la langue
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Yambor, Jenna, author; Groim, Frédérique, advisor; Malpezzi Price, Paola, 1948-, committee member; Browne, Katherine E., 1953-, committee member
France is currently in a period of transition of international government, population, technology and language. Partly because French identities are strongly based on the language, a national identity crisis is occurring that has the country in a state of confusion as to its place in the world. But defining "identity" is a difficult task when it comes to an entire country. It is easier to see what French identity is not, by way of exclusion, than it is to say who and what it means to be French. The French language has long been a cultural cornerstone, specifically since the French Revolution when it took its place as the national language. Since then, the language has been a symbol of perfection and purity among French citizens and Francophiles with laws and committees that exist to protect it from invasive words and grammar changes. But in giving this title to the French language, many groups of people were excluded from the national identity, namely those that did not speak French at the time, which was a large percentage of the country's population. In addition, grammarians, writers, lexicographers, salonnières and more recently young immigrants have used language in order to exclude large groups of people from their perspective identity groups. In changing and defining the French language, these groups have made their own identities stronger while also excluding others from access to their worlds. This thesis is based on the idea that identities are defined by who are not included in particular French linguistic groups and therefore those excluded from holding a place within those identities. In order to understand where this idea originated and how it works, the history of the complicated French orthography is discussed. The preciosity of French salons, another linguistic identity, is also discussed which contrasts the current linguistic opposition of verlan which is having a huge effect on the French language and French identities today.
Open Access
El teatro de los siglos de oro y sus influencias temáticas en El esclavo del demonio de Antonio Mira de Amescua
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Despain, Elisabeth, author; Suárez García, José Luis, advisor; Leal, Francisco, committee member; Ehlers-Zavala, Fabiola P., committee member
The daily life of the Spanish golden age, with its history, society, and socioeconomic problems, presents itself in a particular genre of theater produced during this era. The Baroque theater breaks the Aristotle formula used until this time, and defines the Spanish comedy as the voice of the people. Antonio Mira de Amescua's El esclavo del demonio is a clear representation of this style. It addresses the topics of honor and religion, two popular topics among the Spanish people during the Baroque period, through the ancient theme of selling your soul to the devil. This topic has been used in literature at different times, including Goethe's Faust two centuries later. El esclavo del demonio has the polished form and content for the Baroque literature enthusiast.
Open Access
La sexualidad femenina en términos de oppressión y liberación por medio del sexo
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Rodriguez, Nereida Perdigon, author; Leal, Francisco, advisor; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio, committee member; López-Cabrales, María del Mar, 1967-, committee member; Martey, Rosa Mikeal, committee member
This work studies femenine sexuality in terms of oppression and the liberation of female characters from three novels: Las edades de Lulú, (1989) de Almudena Grandes, La nada cotidiana, (1995) de Zoé Valdés y La casa de los espíritu, de Isabel Allende, (1982). This investigation wants to state women's sexual evolution, as well as the responsibility that they have to build the change from an object to an active sexual subject. This thesis is not meant to show that the feminine characters in these novels have been free of masculine oppression, but it is very important to emphasize that these women have been making progress and winning battles in the context of their own lives, becoming the heroines in their societies. I want to show through this research that women have been victims in society, but also, throughout their stories have destroyed the victim's dress to become the leaders of their own lives.
Open Access
La crise de la Francite: une critique de la langue Francaise, l'etat et l'identite nationale a travers les siecles
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Passie, Kris Allen, author; Vogl, Mary B., 1967-, advisor; Malpezzi-Price, Paola, 1948-, committee member; Browne, Katherine E., 1953-, committee member
This paper deals with the contemporary issues related to French national identity and suggests that they have reached a socio-cultural crisis. It traces the development of French nationalism and the factors that have determined it over the course of the past four centuries. Through an historical lens, the findings suggest that the fortification and increased centralization of the State apparatus coupled with carefully orchestrated state-sanctioned programs pointed at language development have largely been responsible for the construction of the contemporary French nation state entity, its value structure and assertions of uniqueness and singularity. The study follows the historical trajectory of France as it became an icon of the modern era through its leading role in the Enlightenment, its colonial pursuits and domestic nation building efforts. Taking the position that the present can only be understood by a thorough unearthing of the past, this paper holds that current socio-cultural problems in France related to immigration, regional identities and assertions of a threatened national culture are best understood through a holistic archeology of the French national entity.
Open Access
Motivation des étudiants de deuxième langue, La: l'influence sur l'acquisition de la culture
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Waack, Brittany L., author; Grim, Frédérique M. A., 1976-, advisor; Malpezzi-Price, Paola, 1948-, committee member; Coke, Pamela K., committee member
Second language (L2) acquisition does not consist solely of vocabulary, syntax and conjugations, it is necessary that learners also have an understanding of the history, the people and the general culture in order to use the L2 well. Therefore, why do many students only acquire a superficial understanding of culture? This study focuses on the collision between culture acquisition and motivation. The research concerning motivation in the L2 is vast, but the conclusions are not clear; however, three theories form the base of current research; the socio-educational theory (Gardner 1972, 1985), the social context theory (Clément and Kruidenier, 1983) and the self-determination theory (Noels, Pelletier, Clément and Vallerand, 2003). All these theories, despite their differences, state that the motivation plays an important role in L2 acquisition. Therefore, this study with 120 participants from all levels of French, from a mid-sized university located in the West of the United states, explores the importance of motivation in the acquisition not only of the L2, but more specifically of culture. The questionnaire, used to collect the motivation and cultural knowledge of the students, was completed three times throughout the semester, but the results did not find a statistically significant link between motivation and cultural knowledge for students of French in this context. However, there were positive changes seen over the course of the semester in relation to cultural knowledge and the general attitude towards the class and the French language for the majority of participants.
Open Access
El voseo in los medios de comunicacion, el cine y la literatura de Guatemala
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Tricola, J. Makenzie, author; Velázquez-Castillo, Maura, advisor; Correa, Maite, committee member; Martey, Rosa Mikeal, committee member
The voseo, that is, the use of the pronoun vos and its corresponding verb forms for the second person singular in Spanish, has been the subject of a large number of studies. Its use varies according to the region or country studied. In Guatemala, there appears to exist a special situation where the decision of which pronoun to use (usted, tú or vos) depends, in part, on the gender of the speaker and the interlocutor. In spite of this interesting situation, the voseo in Guatemala has not received sufficient attention. In fact, only two previous studies on the current situation of the voseo in Guatemala exist. These two studies are based on surveys with small numbers of participants. These surveys do not necessarily reveal the everyday uses of address forms and furthermore, the numbers of participants are too small to be able to generalize the results of these studies. Therefore, in the present study, I analyze the uses of the voseo in communication media (written and oral) cinema and literature in Guatemala with the objective of establishing the contexts in which the voseo appears and how it is represented, and with a focus on the factors of gender and linguistic register, and the two scales closeness/distance and hierarchy/equality. The four main conclusions of the present study are: (1) There exists a diglossia in which the voseo is part of the system of address in everyday speech but not in the formal register. For this reason, the voseo appears most in contexts which represent everyday interactions. (2) The voseo has masculine connotations. (3) The voseo is used in various types of relationships determined by the factors of closeness/distance and hierarchy/equality, but in all of the contexts in which it appears, it serves to reduce the social distance between the interlocutors.
Open Access
Le cri du bayou: le statut et la promotion de la langue Française et la musique Cadienne en Louisiane
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Hartmann, Melissa, author; Vogl, Mary, advisor; Malpezzi-Price, Paola, committee member; Little, Ann, committee member
As one of the rare Francophone regions in North America, Louisiana has a unique culture and French dialect, spawning from Acadian immigrants who came to the Louisiana colony in the latter part of the 18th century. As the Cajun identity evolved, several strong influences have shaped and formed the Cajun French language; yet, it remains in danger due to damages from a 1921 law prohibiting the use of French in Louisiana and increased exposure to Anglo-American culture. However, many efforts to promote Cajun French have been employed since 1968 and the creation of the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL), especially regarding the implementation of French-language immersion programs. In order to obtain their goal of preserving the Cajun French dialect, CODOFIL first realized the need to reestablish a sense of linguistic and cultural pride in the Cajun community. By hosting the World Acadian Congress in 1999, Louisiana Cajuns were able to reinforce important ties with other French-speaking communities in Canada and worldwide, thereby establishing pride in their French heritage. This new cultural identity, coupled with the immense popularity of Cajun music in Louisiana offers another method of strengthening the precarious future of Cajun French by presenting a new way to attract younger generations to the dialect. This work will explore the status of the French language and music in Louisiana today, focusing on the ways in which a strong cultural element could provide important tools for protecting and promoting the unique Cajun French dialect.
Open Access
Street art und die demokratisierung der Kunst in Berlin
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Dore, Fernanda, author; Bodine, Jay, advisor; Kirby, Rachel, committee member; Moseman, Eleanor, committee member
Graffiti, Post-Graffiti, Urban Art and Street Art are sometimes used as synonyms. Authors in the field of Street Art agree that this art form derives directly from the subway graffiti in New York, and often designate it as an art movement. This work defends the thesis that the more the art on the Berlin Wall increased the tolerance towards and integration of the art in the public spaces, the more it contributed to the popularization of the contemporary Street Art in Berlin. The goal of this paper is trifold: 1. to clarify the relationship between the Street Art in Berlin today and the art on the Berlin Wall; 2. to understand the institutionalization of this art form; and 3. to bring light to the democratization of art through Street Art in Berlin. With this purpose, I will analyze the efforts that differentiate Berlin from other cities and position Street Art not as vandalism, but rather as a part of the art in public spaces. The essence of this art form derives from site-specific art, whereby the place plays an inherent part in the artwork. These qualities can be recognized in the Street Art in Berlin from the 70's until today, and its popularization is deeply connected with the German cultural politics of the 70's and the historical significance of the Wall Art. In addition, Street Art challenges the paradigms between high and low art, as well as the contemporary role of the museum. The consequences of the institutionalization of this art form are its democratization and commodification. Finally, Street Art can be considered responsible for a Musealization from Below, whereby the place (the walls of the metropolis) becomes part of the work and its cultural, historical and identity values are emphasized. This is particularly true in the case of the Berlin Wall. Street Art is site-specific, because the works give the place a new meaning and vice-versa. Instead of simulating Street Art in an institutional space, the projects in Berlin attempt to transform the street into an art gallery, inserting the art into the life of the people and finally contributing to the democratization of art.
Open Access
Imaginario y silencios en la literatura sobre tres paramilitares líderes de las "Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia" (la autobiografía de Carlos Castaño, la biografía de Salvatore Mancuso y la novela sobre Rodrigo Tovar Pupo)
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Jiménez Alfonso, Camilo Alberto, author; Leal, Francisco, advisor; López, Maria del Mar, committee member; Van Buren, Mary, committee member
In this paper I analyze three books an autobiography, Mi confesión: Carlos Castaño revela sus secretos; a biography, Salvatore Mancuso su vida; and a novel, Líbranos del bien. Each one of them tells the life of one of the bosses of the Self-Defenses Forces of Colombia, an organization that coordinated many paramilitary groups in Colombia. The questions of this investigation are: What images do these books create about the figure of the paramilitary whose life is narrated? And what image do those books create about the paramilitary group as a phenomenon? The main claim of this work is that the three books present an indulgent image of both the character and the phenomenon. On one hand, the three books justify in one way or another the existence of the paramilitary groups; on the other hand, all of them emphasize the human aspect of the characters and reduce their crimes. Two of these books are directly related with a political discussion that was born around the demobilization process of the paramilitary groups related with the Self-Defenses Forces of Colombia between 2002 and 2006. One of the main points of this discussion was to establish if the Self-Defenses Forces of Colombia was an armed criminal organization or a political organization, and for this reason this thesis should be framed in a wider context, with the use of literature as an ideological vehicle.
Open Access
Re-extracción de la piedra de locura: análisis de los dibujos de Alejandra Pizarnik
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Ruiz García, María A., author; Leal, Francisco, advisor; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio Francisco, advisor; Canetto, Silvia Sara, committee member
The literary critiques on the work of Argentinean writer Alejandra Pizarnik have focused exclusively on her literature without restricting themselves to the texts published in her life --poetry in verse and prose--, but rather all of her writing: letters, diaries, literary critics, and posthumous texts. In general, the image that is commonly adjudicated to her is that of the poet who writes brief and obscure verses, whose fragility ends in suicide, which is seen as the ultimate act of her accursedness, since her work is mostly read within the literary tradition of the poètes maudits. The literary critiques of her work have recognized a certain influence of the fine arts in her writing --specifically when designing the spatial arrangement where the poem is created, due to the ekphrastic features of certain poems, and the manner of working with the poem as if it were a painting. However, her visual production has not received attention as an art object in itself. It has been unattended to due to the ossification of the tautological figure of the poet identical to her poetry (Pizarnik = poems). Different from this perspective, in this current work I present a first reading of Pizarnik's drawings, arguing that it is necessary to understand them within the continuum of Pizarnik's poetic work given that the drawings amplify and open the fixed image held of the poet.
Open Access
Caricature et censure du dessin politique en France: ou le rôle de la liberté d'expression au sein des médias français de la révolution à l'affaire des caricatures de Mahomet
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Henry, Nicolas Christian, author; Malpezzi Price, Paola, advisor; Grim, Frédérique, committee member; Margolf, Diane, committee member
The goal of this thesis is to analyze the various changes that led France to become a true democracy by allowing its citizens to express themselves freely. Through social, political, and judicial battles, France successfully gained the right to self-expression without fearing the consequences of potential censorship. However, the war for freedom was never completely acquired. I will emphasize the most notorious cases in which the press was silenced by the censors. I will especially insist on the most modern example with defied French justice. I will provide a historical analysis to understand what led to a unique trial that ignited so much controversy. I will conclude that the legislative and democratic solution reflects the very principles of an independent and egalitarian society.
Open Access
Poder de la influencia, El: relaciones artísticas desde España a México
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Lombardi, Melissa J., author; Leal, Francisco, advisor; Suárez-García, José Luis, advisor; Velasco, Marcela, committee member
My research discusses the concept of "artistic partnership" through the pairing of various artists, ranging from Spain to Mexico. I propose that the power of influence present in each relationship is directly reflected in their work and that without such influence, they would have produced very different outcomes. Beginning with the Spanish poet, Federico García Lorca and his controversial "friendship" with the famous surrealist painter, Salvador Dalí, I expose the presence of one another in both poetry and painting. I continue on to research two lesser-known artists, Remedios Varo of Spain and Leonora Carrington of England who created a world of fantasy, magic and alchemy through a shared sense of whimsicality and lust for life. Their artwork is nearly identical both in theme and in style due to a profound understanding and appreciation for one another's uniqueness. My work ends with a radical proposal of a very different kind of relationship. Although Frida Kahlo is best known through her marriage to the Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera, her talent and passion for painting was never determined by him. I do not attempt to negate the presence of one another in their artwork but rather propose that this is not the type of influence that is fed by love and encouragement but rather that of a muse and her obsession. In conclusion, my research proposes that through these artistic partnerships, we are able to understand the difference between "interactions" and "bonds." I believe that the presence of each artist significantly modified the work of their partner and most importantly, allowed them to reach a level, both personally and artistically, that they would not have otherwise been able to reach on their own.
Open Access
Hacia una poética emancipadora: la creación del future nuevo en la obra poética de Pablo Neruda, César Vallejo y Miguel Hernández
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Devlin, Colin, author; Leal, Francisco, advisor; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio, committee member; Velasco, Marcela, committee member
This work has as its goal the investigation of the intersection where literature and politics crosses. This space is thought provoking because it represents a new function for art, an art that instead of concerning itself with the representation of beauty and what can be considered "good", it arms itself with a political end. This is to say, this literature tries to perturb the reality that defines the lives of the marginalized populations. Using the political philosophy of Jacques Rancière, a politics that can be defined by its activity instead of its passivity, as well as an introduction to the relationships within being, doing and saying, I argue that the political poems about the Spanish Civil War found in the work of Pablo Neruda, César Vallejo and Miguel Hernández succeed in being called political poetry. I advance that these poems, for having portrayed reality through a new language and for being militarized poetry, introduce a new relationship in what is implied by being a political poet.
Open Access
Primer tercio del siglo XIX en las novelas de Arturo Pérez-Reverte, El: guerra, historia e ideología
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) López Ramírez, María del Carmen, author; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio F., advisor; López-Cabrales, María del Mar, committee member; Van Buren, Mary, committee member
The work of the Spanish novelist Arturo Pérez-Reverte has had a considerable critical reception, but most of these critics focus on the analysis of narrative resources used by the author and avoid inquiring into the ideology that underlies its novel output. In the present study we analyze the ideology inherent in the historical novels of Pérez-Reverte that focus on the first third of the nineteenth century --the period that runs from the end of the reign of Charles IV, the Spanish War of Independence and the liberal and absolutist periods of the second decade of the century--. This is done by examining the development of various concepts of vital importance in the narrative of Pérez-Reverte: war, history and ideology. These concepts will be studied in the novels El húsar, La sombra del águila, Territorio comanche, Cabo Trafalgar, Un día de cólera and El asedio. In this study, these novels are divided into two groups according to the evolution that the author experienced during his career novel, which begins under the influence of a liberal trend and ends with an ideological vision closer to nationalism and traditionalism. This research aims to demonstrate how Pérez-Reverte does a critical examination of the past so that the reader can connect it with the present and recover "some" collective memory and a "lost" national identity constructed through the narration of certain episodes of national history.
Open Access
Justicia ambiental en la República de Guinea Ecuatorial y su realidad pos-petróleo
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Spence, Laura Elizabeth, author; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio F., advisor; Lopez-Cabrales, María del Mar, committee member; Saagás, Ernesto, committee member
After gaining its independence from Spain in 1968 and the subsequent discovery of some of the largest offshore oil reserves in Africa in 1995, the socioeconomic reality of Equatorial Guinea has transformed dramatically in the past decades. Once considered an economically stagnant and politically corrupt country, today the Equatoguinean economy is categorized as one of the fastest growing in the world. Yet in spite of all these changes —that initially seem positive— the current political powers have perpetuated a state structure that hinders the great majority of the country’s population, creating a state of environmental injustice in which the Equatoguinean people suffer the consequences of the exploitation of their natural resources without the opportunity to benefit from the positive development that the hydrocarbon industry brings to the nation’s economy. The present investigation focuses on the factors that have contributed to this imbalance between social and economic sectors in Equatorial Guinea, and also how this “negative development” has affected the reality and identity of the nation’s people in modern times. This work will also highlight the evolution of the servile relationship between the Equatoguinean government, other international political entities, and the transnational oil corporations that have established themselves in the region, with special attention to the indifference that they have shown for the overall welfare of the Equatoguinean people. To conclude, I will consider the country’s possible future socioeconomic trajectory in light of all of this information, focusing primarily on its overall relevance in the field of Environmental Justice.
Open Access
The relationship between metalinguistic knowledge/learning contexts and language proficiency
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Hanson, Jenna, author; Correa, Maite, advisor; Ehlers-Zavala, Fabiola, advisor; Velazquez-Castillo, Maura, committee member; Doe, Sue, committee member
This study explores the relationship between learning context on learners' oral proficiency, metalinguistic knowledge of Spanish (MKS) and metalinguistic knowledge of English (MKE). The study also explores the relationship between MKE and MKS, and MKS on oral proficiency between the two learning contexts. The two contexts in question were a traditional semester (TS) that met five days a week, fifty minutes a day for fifteen weeks and a four-week summer intensive program that met five days a week, four hours a day for four weeks. A COPI (computerized oral proficiency interview) was administered to measure oral proficiency and two different measures of metalinguistic knowledge were employed to test MKE and MKS. The MKE test was administered as a pre and posttest, whereas the MKS test was given at the end of the semester. The study found that, a) students in the TS group have significantly higher levels of MKS, b) student in the TS group significantly improve their MKE more so than the IS group, c) there is a significant relationship between MKS and oral proficiency regardless of group, d) there is a significant relationship between MKE pretest and MKS at the end of the semester, and e) there is no significant difference between oral proficiency between the two contexts.
Open Access
Papel de la etnicidad en la sociedad yucateca, El: una continuación del colonialismo interno en el sur de México
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Wick, Allison, author; Carlyon, Jonathan, advisor; Leal, Francisco, committee member; Yarrington, Doug, committee member
This paper intends to prove that the social inequality within Yucatecan society is just as present today as it was in the colonial time period. Differing from the colonial period, this inequality is not maintained by force or by law, but rather by a strong ideology embedded in the hearts and minds of both the colonizers and the colonized. Due to historical and cultural processes, a stigmatization developed toward the Mayan ethnic group, and an admiration toward the Ladino ethnic group. The result of said processes is the presence of an internal colonialism in the peninsula in which there exists a dominate class (of the ladino population) and an exploited class (of the Mayan population), a relationship supported by an ethnic differentiation ideology. As a consequence, there exists the phenomenon of changing one's ethnic category by changing one's cultural markers in an effort to enjoy the benefits of a higher status. The principle cultural markers examined in this study are: dress, language, and place of residence. The stigmatization of the Mayan ethnic category (which is linked with poverty and backwardness), has resulted in the refusal to speak the Mayan-Yucatec language, the rejection of the traditional dress and a migration from the countryside to urban areas. By leaving behind these cultural markers and adopting those of the dominate population, one changes ethnic categories. However, since ethnicity is a cultural formation, the Yucatecan population utilizes various strategies in relationship to ethnicity in order to play it to their best advantage. For example, the cultural marker of traditional dress of the Mayan woman, the hipil, has two very different meanings according to the context in which it is presented. In a touristic context, it is a symbol of pride and of cultural heritage of the peninsula, but in another context of daily life, the woman who wears it is usually immediately categorized as a poor Mayan who works as a domestic servant. The situation of the Yucatan Peninsula becomes even more apparent when compared to the very different situation of the Mayans of Guatemala. Differing greatly from Guatemala, where there exists an indigenous movement, the population of the Yucatan Peninsula does not want to identify as indigenous. In Guatemala, they utilize cultural markers which are distinctly Mayan-Guatemaltecos in order to identify themselves as members of the indigenous group. The Mayan-Yucatecos try to hide their cultural markers that could place them in a socially inferior group. The stigmatization and as a result, the marginalization, of the Mayans of the Yucatan Peninsula, is evident in the government programs (or lack of programs). The government's negligence towards this group of people is evident in the country's education system and in the high levels of poverty which correlates to the most heavily populated zones of Mayan speakers.
Open Access
Imposición identitaria durante el Franquismo y la Transición en las novelas de Rosa Montero
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Cabañes-Martínez, Aintzane, author; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio F., advisor; Leal, Francisco, committee member; Yarrington, Doug, committee member
Despite the considerable critical reception that Rosa Montero's journalist work has achieved, her novels have not been received with equitable acceptance by critics. One of the main reasons why her novels have not been equally valued is that their study is very limited. Thus, most of the analyses that have been published about the novels of the Spanish novelist are focused on examining aspects that are connected to feminism. The present study is aimed to analyze the identity conflict that the characters of some of Rosa Montero's novels develop. In order to do so, the framework that Vanessa Knights establishes in her book The Search for Identity in the Narrative of Rosa Montero will be expanded from being centered in the search for identity in women to the search for identity in the individual. The analyzes will build a direct connection between the construction of identity and the historical and social context in which the novels that are going to be analyzed are framed, since it is my opinion that the previous studies have not paid enough attention to the influence of the context. This is why, apart from making reference to the identity theories upon which the study will be based, the present work also examines the implications that the history and context have in the construction of identity. Due to the fact that the characters of the analyzed novels are influenced by two main periods -the Francoist dictatorship and the Transition together with the first years of the Spanish democracy-, the analysis has been divided in two main sections: the novels that deal with the past -Bella y oscura and La hija del caníbal-, and those that deal with the present -Crónica del desamor, Te trataré como a una reina y Amado amo. This research proposes that the novels break with the traditional conceptions of identity as static to promote a fluid and constantly changing conception.
Open Access
Hochbegabte kinder - das unterdrückte genie -- was treibt Hans Giebenrath unter das rad?: eine neuere perspektive zu Herman Hesses Unterm Rad, in bezug auf die idee ,das lernen als strafe'
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Riggs, Kaysha, author; Hughes, Jolyon, advisor; Kirby, Rachel, committee member; Hulpke, Alexander, committee member
The current discussion on Hermann Hesse's 1906 book, Unterm Rad, leaves many open-ended questions. Because the storyline so closely follows Hermann Hesse's personal biography, it obfuscates his authorial intentions and makes it difficult for scholars to differentiate between the two. Many critics also claim that the correlations between Unterm Rad's protagonist, Hans Giebenrath, and Hesse's personal life have actually stagnated later research about the book, as discussions always circle back to Hesse's personal struggles in the Prussian school system. This thesis, although acknowledging the similarities to Hesse's personal timeline, aims to frame the book in historical context in order to discuss its importance in a literary context. This thesis begins by analyzing the norm of educational methods in the early nineteenth century, and establishes that they are strongly based on a long tradition of child rearing by using force. This can be traced back to some accounts from 1752, and are based on a history of bourgeois childrearing. The headmaster and pastor's treatment of Hans in Unterm Rad clearly demonstrate the force and suppression of new ideas, used as modes of teaching to ensure students conformed to societal norms: this is historically reconcilable. Hesse's fictional story is thus the ideal basis for an analysis of childrearing methods used during that time. In order to effectively introduce a new perspective on the discussion, this paper uses the New Historicism approach and begins with Roland Barthes's theory of authorial intention. It analyses the text within the constraints of The Death of the Author, and continues with Michel Foucault's What is an Author? The goal is to evaluate what Unterm Rad says about the child rearing at the turn of the century in southern Germany, particularly for gifted children, and how it can be applied to what is already known from a historical standpoint. This idea is then applied from Hans Giebenrath's point of view to German psychologist Katharina Rutschky's concept of "Schwarze Pädagogik" or "Black Pedagogy" and her theories of suppression. This idea is further supplemented by Alice Millers research on childrearing, in relation to Hans's experience at the school in Maulbronn.