| الملخص: |
My dissertation, entitled, “Mexican Film Censorship and the Creation of Regime Legitimacy, 1913-1945,” argues that Mexican government officials used cinema censorship to disseminate a positive image of Mexico and Mexicans as modern and prosperous, and attempted to create an appearance of stability and control. Utilizing archival sources, newspapers, journals, and film propaganda, I examine how regimes use film censorship as a tool to legitimize their power through images. Specifically, I focus on representations of women, the indigenous, and Mexicans in U.S. cinema. The officials realized the significant persuasive and influential power that visual media had over its vast and far-reaching audiences, especially the increasingly popular form of film. They saw censorship as an efficient and effective tool they could use to create and/or change the course of any given tide of public sentiment or opinion. They implemented film censorship and the use of positive imagery to serve two purposes. One reason being to convince international audiences of Mexico’s status as a modern, powerful, and independent nation. The second was to persuade domestic audiences of the Mexican government’s legitimacy to rule and restore a sense of national pride in order to breed a common desire for national unity. While other scholars have discussed censorship, none have looked at the broader, transnational aspects and consequences that my dissertation analyzes. |
