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Transnational discourses of peripheral sexualities in the Hispanic world
  • ISSN 2211-3770
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Abstract

, a form of exhibition wrestling, has recently gained popularity in Bolivia, thanks to mixed-gender matches featuring traditionally-dressed women known as the . Within their matches, the act of kissing is often used as a form of humiliating an opponent. This article explores the convergence of eroticism and humiliation in these kisses as an entry point for a broader understanding of the deployment of power in the Bolivian context. Taking both the symbolic language of bodies in the ring and audience discourses about that action, I explore how associations between humiliation and demasculinization may reinforce the potency of masculinity as a position of power. Further, seeing the as representative of the Bolivian nation helps us to understand the ways that humiliation works as a recognizable trope for Bolivian audiences, lending import to these seemingly superficial performances.

© 2016 John Benjamins Publishing Company
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/content/journals/10.1075/jls.5.2.06hay
2016-09-16
2024-09-08

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/content/journals/10.1075/jls.5.2.06hay
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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): Bolivia; chola; eroticism; gender; humiliation; indigeneity; lucha libre; sexuality

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