In this keynote lecture, Catalina Rodríguez, Assistant Professor of Spanish at Boston University, examines the striking phenomenon of gender-blurring pseudonyms—pen names that aimed to replicate and problematize the investments, concerns, and visions of gendered standpoints throughout 19th-century Latin America.

These pseudonyms were widely used throughout the Americas by some of the most foundational political figures and canonical authors of the region, many of whom played central roles in defining the future of their nations. Among these were José Martí, Domingo Sarmiento, Soledad Acosta, Vicente Riva Palacio, and Rafael Pombo—figures that today stand as monumentalized presidents, authors, and political thinkers within the Latin American tradition.

Rodríguez investigates the prominent use of pseudonyms to understand how authors leveraged feminine standpoints to produce an inhabitable ideal of “femininity,” which opened spaces of gendered regulation and transgression. These pseudonyms delimited women’s participation in political debates, defined gendered practices, and addressed trends in women’s fashion. But in doing so, the pen names also allowed writers to explore queer desire, embrace fluid gender identities and question the stability of the sex/gender binary.

Make sure to see the related graduate student roundtable and pop-up exhibit, “Women and Culture in 19th- and 20th-Century Latin America,” 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., in Rare Books & Special Collections, 102 Hesburgh Library.

Organized by Payton Phillips Quintanilla, Rare Books & Special Collections, and Vanesa Miseres, Romance Languages and Literatures.

Presenter

Catalina Rodríguez specializes in Latin American Literature and Culture. Her research and teaching interests center on Latin American literature and culture from the nineteenth century onward, with a focus on gender and sexuality studies, women’s literature, theories of authorship, ecofeminism, and queer literature.