Table of Contents

Preface xi
Acknowledgments xix
Introduction: Selenidad and Latinidad in the 1990s 1
1. Soundtracks of Selenidad: "Disco Medley" and "Como la Flor" 31
2. Colonial Past, Tejano Present: Civic Maintenance is Selena's Memorial 56
3. Selena Forever, Latin Futures 95
4. Becoming Selena, Becoming Latina 126
5. "Como la Flor" Reprised: Queer Selenidad 155
Epilogue 187
Notes 193
Selected Bibliography 231
Index 245

Promotional Information

An ethnography on the significance of Selena's afterlife for Latino identity

About the Author

Deborah Paredez is Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas, Austin.

Reviews

"Selena, as Deborah Paredez compellingly shows, functions as a cultural hinge figure: issues pertaining to economics, ethnic identity, music, body language, sexuality, and politics are all negotiated around and through her body. More than that, Paredez demonstrates that the mourning around the star's death--the outpouring of grief by Latinos and the reluctant observance by mainstream audiences--enacts the troubled relationship of Latinos and the mainstream generally."-- Diana Taylor, author of The Archive and the Repertoire: Performing Cultural Memory in the Americas "In this outstanding book, Deborah Paredez teaches us important lessons about the politics of Latinidad. She makes insightful connections between Selena's memorialization and contemporary issues including U.S. policy toward Latinos, the continued relevance of Texas's colonial and conquest history, the political economy of NAFTA, and even strategies for containing urban popular expression."--Arlene Davila, author of Latinos, Inc.: The Marketing and Making of a People