Staging Politics In Mexico: The Road to Neoliberalism (Bucknell Studies in Latin American Literature and Theory)

Neoliberalism in Mexico - characterized by "free" markets, by the privitization of thousands of State enterprises, and by influence from Washington and Wall Street - has forever changed the political climate, making it necessary to theorize new paths for the future. Indeed, liberal ideology champions not only economic freedom but individual liberty as well: In the canon of liberal texts, Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations coexists with John Stuart Mill's "The Subjugation of Women," a biting commentary on gender inequality. The debate over neoliberalism in Mexico is not exclusively a left-right conflict. Many leftists see ties with the U.S. as a means to promote social change even though they oppose neoliberal economics; many on the right, while supporting neoliberalism, fear social influences from the North. This volume focuses on the neoliberal debate in plays by four Mexican authors: Sabina Berman, Vicente Lenero, Victor Hugo Rascon Banda, and Alejandra Trigueros. These playwrights stage the complexity of neoliberalism, providing insight into a global trend and its manifestation in Mexico. Stuart A. Day is Assistant Professor of Spanish at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.