Frida Kahlo and Astrid Hadad: performing woman and nation in 20th century Mexico

Abstract

This thesis examines the ways in which artist Frida Kahlo and cabaret político performer Astrid Hadad contest and reinterpret hegemonic constructs of Mexican womanhood during critical periods of national change across the 20th century. Situated within the postrevolutionary period (1920–1940), the analysis discusses how Kahlo’s paintings perform themes of gender and national identity. Similarly, it demonstrates how Hadad’s performances during the NAFTA era (1980–2000) critique and navigate shifting national sentiments through the lens of gendered nationhood.

Integrating art history, gender studies, and cultural anthropology into a theoretical framework that engages critical theories of identity and performance, the research explores how Kahlo and Hadad utilize their artistic practices to challenge and reshape entrenched cultural narratives. This theoretical approach sheds light on how the praxis of performance and Kahlo and Hadad’s resistant cultural depictions of womanhood interact with and challenge the official and pedagogical discourses of nationhood. In arguing that gender and national identities are performative and constructed through cultural practices, the thesis positions their artistic work as a critical site for negotiating and contesting identity within the important context of Mexican art and Mexican Studies more broadly.

This study claims originality in its methodological approach, combining performance theories with a multidisciplinary framework to highlight how art and culture act as conduits for questioning and transforming societal norms, particularly in the context of significant historical periods in Mexico. Additionally, the thesis provides new approaches and analyses to the study of Kahlo and Hadad’s work which are likely to be invaluable to future scholars. This contribution is particularly significant in light of the scarcity of innovative analysis of Frida Kahlo's work within scholarly discourse.

Thesis is embargoed until 31 July 2027. 

For copyright reasons, this thesis is partially redacted.

Date of Award	Jul 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Supervisor	Sarah Bowskill (Supervisor) & Ricki O'Rawe (Supervisor)