Contrapunteo: The Question of "National" Theater in Turn-of-the-Century Argentina and Mexico

Abstract

This project explores the phenomenon of National Theater in both Argentina and Mexico, specifically reevaluating the former's exemplarity and the latter's "failure." I propose that Fernando Ortiz's notion of contrapunteo is useful when thinking about the tensions found in National Theater, and I deploy this understanding to argue that, contrary to critical opinion, the "frivolous" Mexican theater scene was a key factor in the Mexican Revolution.