Dr. Andrés Carrete to Speak on Heritage Discourse and the Mexican Reception of Antigone
Dr. Andrés Carrete to Speak on Heritage Discourse and the Mexican Reception of Antigone
The Classics Department, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Center are happy to present Dr. Andrés Carrete, who will be delivering a paper entitled "A Monumental Approach to Reception: The Shifting Heritage Discourse of Antigone in Mexico," on Thursday, April 24, at 5 pm.
Sophocles’ Antigone has enjoyed a rich and diverse afterlife in Mexican theater. Starting in the late 1960s, the ancient tragedy has been repeatedly reimagined as part of a developing tradition of resistance and social critique. Despite the political boldness and precision of most modern Mexican Antigones, the ancient play did not always possess the discursive power to intervene and criticize that has defined the play for contemporary Latin American audiences. It is through the efforts of its receiving communities that Mexico’s Antigones develop into culturally specific interventions to their country’s dominant narratives. Using the tools of heritage discourse theory and the scholarship of monumentality, this talk will trace the history of Antigone in Mexico as it transforms from a cultural imposition to a veritable site of Mexican heritage – one capable of challenging projects of national mythmaking, social and gender roles, as well as societal failings and cultural apathies.
Dr. Carrete (PhD 2022, University of California, Santa Barbara) is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Hellenic Studies of Harvard University. As part of his appointment, he is the academic program director for Harvard’s “Scholars in Training” summer program – an initiative aiming to enhance and implement inclusive pedagogy for increased access and diversity in Classics. His research interests include the Latin American reception of classics (especially Mexican reception), Greek tragedy, inclusive pedagogy, translation theory, ethics, and political philosophy.