On (Dang) Quesadillas and Nachos : Mexican Identity and a Mormon Imaginary in the Films of Jared Hess
Mormon director Jared Hess has produced several films, but none have achieved the popularity of Napoleon Dynamite (US 2004) and Nacho Libre (US 2006). These movies share several similarities: an interest in characters who do not fit the societal mold, lowbrow humor, and – crucially for the current...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Karl Franzens Universität Graz
2019-05-01
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| Series: | Journal for Religion, Film and Media |
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| Online Access: | https://unipub.uni-graz.at/jrfm/periodical/titleinfo/4505033 |
| _version_ | 1811283495330250752 |
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| author | David S., Dalton |
| author_facet | David S., Dalton |
| author_sort | David S., Dalton |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mormon director Jared Hess has produced several films, but none have achieved the
popularity of Napoleon Dynamite (US 2004) and Nacho Libre (US 2006). These movies
share several similarities: an interest in characters who do not fit the societal mold, lowbrow humor, and – crucially for the current study – a fascination with characters of Mexican and Latin American descent. Hess’s representation of Mexican and Latin American
people is difficult to place within current US discourses on race and ethnicity because it
upholds racialist divisions within humanity even as it decries racist acts against societal
Others. As Hess affirms the humanity of the US’s southern neighbors, for example, he
denounces xenophobic and anti-immigrant points of view. At the same time, however,
he signals his Mexican characters as irreconcilably different from – and perhaps simpler
than – their North American counterparts. In this article, I argue that Hess’s ambiguous
representation of Mexican peoples and cultures reflects a type of “benevolent racism”
that is common within white, North American Mormon communities who paradoxically
view people of Mexican descent both as Others and as the physical and spiritual heirs of
the peoples of the Book of Mormon. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T02:12:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-77e9a7448b034f82bccbeaafcf0c2b76 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2414-0201 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T02:12:48Z |
| publishDate | 2019-05-01 |
| publisher | Karl Franzens Universität Graz |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal for Religion, Film and Media |
| spelling | doaj.art-77e9a7448b034f82bccbeaafcf0c2b762022-12-22T03:07:14ZengKarl Franzens Universität GrazJournal for Religion, Film and Media2414-02012019-05-015214116510.25364/05.05:2019.2.8On (Dang) Quesadillas and Nachos : Mexican Identity and a Mormon Imaginary in the Films of Jared HessDavid S., Dalton0Universität GrazMormon director Jared Hess has produced several films, but none have achieved the popularity of Napoleon Dynamite (US 2004) and Nacho Libre (US 2006). These movies share several similarities: an interest in characters who do not fit the societal mold, lowbrow humor, and – crucially for the current study – a fascination with characters of Mexican and Latin American descent. Hess’s representation of Mexican and Latin American people is difficult to place within current US discourses on race and ethnicity because it upholds racialist divisions within humanity even as it decries racist acts against societal Others. As Hess affirms the humanity of the US’s southern neighbors, for example, he denounces xenophobic and anti-immigrant points of view. At the same time, however, he signals his Mexican characters as irreconcilably different from – and perhaps simpler than – their North American counterparts. In this article, I argue that Hess’s ambiguous representation of Mexican peoples and cultures reflects a type of “benevolent racism” that is common within white, North American Mormon communities who paradoxically view people of Mexican descent both as Others and as the physical and spiritual heirs of the peoples of the Book of Mormon.https://unipub.uni-graz.at/jrfm/periodical/titleinfo/4505033book of mormonimmigrationlamanitenacho librenapoleon dynamitemormon studiesrace and religion |
| spellingShingle | David S., Dalton On (Dang) Quesadillas and Nachos : Mexican Identity and a Mormon Imaginary in the Films of Jared Hess Journal for Religion, Film and Media book of mormon immigration lamanite nacho libre napoleon dynamite mormon studies race and religion |
| title | On (Dang) Quesadillas and Nachos : Mexican Identity and a Mormon Imaginary in the Films of Jared Hess |
| title_full | On (Dang) Quesadillas and Nachos : Mexican Identity and a Mormon Imaginary in the Films of Jared Hess |
| title_fullStr | On (Dang) Quesadillas and Nachos : Mexican Identity and a Mormon Imaginary in the Films of Jared Hess |
| title_full_unstemmed | On (Dang) Quesadillas and Nachos : Mexican Identity and a Mormon Imaginary in the Films of Jared Hess |
| title_short | On (Dang) Quesadillas and Nachos : Mexican Identity and a Mormon Imaginary in the Films of Jared Hess |
| title_sort | on dang quesadillas and nachos mexican identity and a mormon imaginary in the films of jared hess |
| topic | book of mormon immigration lamanite nacho libre napoleon dynamite mormon studies race and religion |
| url | https://unipub.uni-graz.at/jrfm/periodical/titleinfo/4505033 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT davidsdalton ondangquesadillasandnachosmexicanidentityandamormonimaginaryinthefilmsofjaredhess |