The Zapatista discursive war : literary subversion in Subcomandante Marcos' writings (1994-2017)
Abstract
This doctoral thesis argues that Subcomandante Marcos’ appropriations of existing
textual material, whether they take the form of quotations, allusions, parodies or remixes,
are key to the discursive war waged in the communiqués. Through these textual
manipulations, Marcos simultaneously promotes inter-epistemic dialogues and questions
colonial knowledge to favour the Zapatistas’ anti-neoliberal and decolonial political
agenda.
The thesis begins by contextualising the emergence of the EZLN within the
history of Chiapas since the nineteenth century, providing background information on
Marcos’ communiqués, and engaging with relevant scholarship. The subsequent literary
analyses uncover some of the textual strategies which contribute to the Zapatistas’
transcultural communication on the one hand, and their subversive political message on
the other. It argues that Marcos recuperates Jorge Luis Borges’ translation strategies and
his irreverent approach towards authorship to challenge the Mexican political class and
colonial cultural hierarchies through intertextual allusions to the Western literary
tradition. Simultaneously, Marcos creates bridges between Maya and Western
epistemological systems. To do so, he relies on certain motifs prevalent in both Maya
culture and idealist philosophy. In addition to being deployed as a bridging element,
idealist philosophy, alongside postmodernity, is recuperated by Marcos for its inherent
scepticism, which is redirected towards the narratives supporting the Mexican
government and its neoliberal policies. Moreover, the staging of cynical voices in
Marcos’ writings is understood as a rhetorical device which places the Zapatistas in moral
opposition to the Mexican government. Finally, it is argued that Marcos’ recent digital
turn mirrors the Zapatistas’ interest for digital activism and their ambiguous appropriation
of Western technology, simultaneously perceived as a site of colonial oppression and a
subversive space. These findings highlight Marcos’ discursive intervention in the global
cultural fabric, afforded by his deliberate displacement of specific texts and the cultural
contexts they embody.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Rights
Embargo Date: 2029-02-20
Embargo Reason: Thesis restricted in accordance with University regulations. Print and electronic copy restricted until 20 February 2029
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