Day of the Dead in the USA

by Marchi, Regina M.

• ISBN13: 9780813545585
• ISBN10: 0813545587
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-06-19
• Publisher: Rutgers Univ Pr

Summary

Honoring relatives by tending graves, building altars, and cooking festive meals has been an honored tradition among Latin Americans for centuries. The tribute, "el Dia de los Muertos," has enjoyed renewed popularity since the 1970s when Latino activists and artists in the United States began expanding "Day of the Dead" north of the border with celebrations of performance art, Aztec danza, art exhibits, and other public expressions.Focusing on the power of ritual to serve as a communication medium, Regina M. Marchi combines a mix of ethnography, historical research, oral history, and critical cultural analysis to explore the manifold and unexpected transformations that occur when the tradition is embraced by the mainstream. A testament to the complex nature of ethnic identity, Day of the Dead in the USA provides insight into the power of ritual to create community, transmit oppositional messages, and advance educational, political, and economic goals.

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

An Ancient and Modern Festival

Mexico's Special Relationship with Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead in the United States

Ritual Communication and Community Building

US Day of the Dead as Political Communication: A Moral Economy

Day of the Dead in the US Media: The Celebration Goes Mainstream

The Expanding Hybridity of an Already Hybrid Tradition

The Commoditization of a Death Ritual

Conclusion: What We Can Learn from Day of the Dead

Methodological Appendix

Notes

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

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