American Studies ETDs
Publication Date
6-28-2010
Abstract
Fray Angelico Chavez was a Franciscan priest and man of letters whose published writings span most of the twentieth century. The dissertation is a critical biography of Fray Angelico's writing, and it uses religion as a critical lens for understanding his work in relation to a host of other Southwestern regional writers, both Anglo and Mexican American. I argue Fray Angelico's Franciscanism fosters a mode of Southwestern critical regionalism in his writing. The main objective of this dissertation is to build and apply a comparative methodology that I call triptych cultural critique to understand better the different modes of regional writing about the Southwest. Fray Angelico utilized the triptych in his artwork and creative writings, so it is an aesthetic that is particular to his Franciscan personality. However, triptych cultural critique is a useful tool for anyone interested in New Mexican history, Southwestern or U.S. Hispanic literature, and Chicana/o cultural production. Fray Angelico's work dialogues with Anglo Southwestern and Chicana/o literary canons in ways that redefine them, and so he is central to this dissertation and its focus on comparative regionalisms.
Project Sponsors
Center for Regional Studies, University of New MexicoOffice of Graduate Studies, University of New Mexico
Language
English
Keywords
Southwestern history, Cultural studies, Regional literature, Fray Angelico Chavez, Chicana/o Studies, US Hispanic literature, Comparative literature of the American Southwest
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
American Studies
Level of Degree
Doctoral
Department Name
American Studies
First Committee Member (Chair)
A. Gabriel Meléndez
Second Committee Member
Alexander S. Lubin
Third Committee Member
Rebecca Schreiber
Fourth Committee Member
Phillip B. Gonzales
Recommended Citation
Vizcaino-Aleman, Melina. "Triptych Cultural Critique: Fray Angelico Chavez and Southwestern Critical Regionalism, 1939-2004." (2010). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/amst_etds/42