Evita, Inevitably: Performing Argentina’s Female Icons Before and After Eva Peron

Evita, Inevitably sheds new light on the history and culture of Argentina by examining the performances and reception of the country’s most iconic female figures, in particular, Eva Peron, who rose from poverty to become a powerful international figure. The book links the Evita legend to a broader pattern of female iconicity from the mid-19th century onward, reading Evita against the performances of other female icons: Camila O'Gorman (1828-1848), executed by firing squad over her affair with a Jesuit priest; Difunta Correa, a devotional figure who has achieved near-sainthood; cumbia-pop performer Gilda; the country’s patron saint, the Virgin of Lujan; and finally, Argentina’s president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. Employing the tools of discursive, visual, and performance analysis, Jean Graham-Jones studies literature, film, folklore, Catholic iconography, and Internet culture to document the ways in which these femicons have been staged.