Histrionic indigeneity Ethnotypes in Latin American cinema

By connecting formulations from various disciplines within the humanities (Cultural and Film Studies, Digital Humanities, Sociolinguistics) and social sciences (Communication, Audience and Media Studies), this study examines critically the ways in which ethnotypes (stereotypes about ethnic groups) are used in the portrayal of the figure of the indigenous in Latin American cinema (2000-2018). It reviews how fiction features films reflect, reinforce, mask or challenge archetypes, and how local and global audiences react to these portrayals (e.g., through social media). The first part of the thesis schematically lays out the conceptualizations, theories and methods that have informed the analysis of the selected films (e.g., mental schemas) (Chapter One and Two). This section examines the historical evolution of indigeneity as a trope in the fine arts and cinema (Chapter Three) and summarizes the spectrum of themes and approaches found in self-representational films and Cine Regional (Chapter Four). The second part of the thesis presents an analysis of the corpus of films (N=65) produced by non-indigenous filmmakers across Latin America (Chapter Five), followed by a review of how Amerindian languages are included in these filmic narratives (Chapter Six). It then presents the findings of an evidence-based content analysis of all the selected films (Chapter Seven), and argues that Roma (Mexico, 2018) marks a paradigm shift in the portrayal of indigenous characters (Chapter Eight). Conclusively, this monograph provides the foundations of a theory that explains how overtly histrionic proclivities play a significant role in the portrayals of an imagined globalized indigenous Other (Histrionic Indigeneity).