We are all familiar with the recurring scene: a curvaceous and seductive woman, clad in a form-fitting garment—likely a black dress that accentuates her alluring features—suddenly finds herself in a dire situation. Her only recourse is to turn to a weapon—often a knife or a gun—to extricate herself from a problematic scenario, whether it be a precarious entanglement or a confrontation with a former lover. Typically, these actions are presented as justifiable; when they are not, the woman is often portrayed as the very embodiment of evil.
However, the focal point of this course is not the initial justification of these actions. Instead, we seek to understand how notions of innocence are constructed within these criminal tableaux. What conditions must a female character meet to be deemed truly malevolent and irredeemable? It is seemingly a straightforward inquiry: Why do women kill? Which actions, impulses, or emotions drive women to take a life? Furthermore, what commonalities exist among female perpetrators in literature, cinema, and television?
This topic ensures a multifaceted exploration of various dimensions of gender, power, violence, and socio-cultural dynamics within Latin American societies. It will involve a thorough examination of both historical and contemporary contexts, utilizing interdisciplinary approaches spanning gender studies, history, and cultural studies, among others.
In this course, we will undertake a critical examination of stereotypes and the diverse representations of female agency. Through an analysis of various cultural productions, including film, literature, television, and press, we will employ a gender studies framework to explore the question of female agency, particularly when it challenges one of the fundamental principles traditionally ascribed to women: that of being life-givers. Our investigation will specifically address how this theme manifests in the Latin American context, thereby interrogating the underlying assumptions that shape the sex-gender system, through a global perspective.