Edward N. Wright-Rios F'11

Charles A. Ryskamp Research Fellowships 2011
Assistant Professor
Department: History
Vanderbilt University
Searching for Madre Matiana: Prophecy, Politics, and Female Piety in Modern Mexico

This project examines the apocryphal female prophecy narrative embedded in conflicts plaguing modern Mexico. It brings together the study of the feminization of piety, print culture and commerce, Catholic intransigence, female religious leadership and innovation, conceptions of fanaticism, satirical journalism, photography, and reformist literary endeavors. It reveals that Mexicans conjured multiple “Matianas” (versions of the prophetess and her visions) over approximately a century as they struggled to define the nation amidst evolving gendered notions of authenticity, legitimacy, religiosity, and modernity.