"Take off that streetwalker's dress": Concha Michel and the cultural politics of gender in postrevolutionary Mexico

Abstract

Remembered as the constant companion of Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, the folksinger Concha Michel achieved notoriety for providing the soundtrack of Mexico's cultural Left. However, she also authored many works of poetry and prose that critiqued liberal, Marxist, and Catholic universalisms - all while maintaining a tireless pace as a teacher and activist. This article offers a methodological exploration of how Michel used personal anecdotes to fashion a universal cosmology and political philosophy grounded in gender complementarity and indigenous authenticity. © 2009 Journal of Women's History.