El mero chingón : Mexicanness at large

This thesis explores the discourse of Mexicanness and its relation to the moving image, pointing to the intellectual discussion it has been subject to since the beginning of the twentieth century. Further, it takes narcoculture as a relevant and recent phenomenon that has the capacity of confronting and reformulating Mexicanness by virtue of its hybridity. This dissertation draws from History, Latin American and Mexican studies to deconstruct and describe a thorough picture of the impact, popularity and pertinence of these narratives in Mexican exploitation and theatrical film, as well as soap operas, which act as cornerstones of the liminal discourse of drug-culture in this context. At the same time, it locates the melodramatic logics of narco film and music as vital for the construction of the modern notion of the Mexican drug dealer as an incarnation of contemporary and contradictory Mexicanness. This thesis points to the connection between Mexicanness, northern Mexican and transborder culture, highlighting the cross-cultural influences that meld in the border and northern states and comprise a rich landscape for theoretical analysis.