Almudena de la Iglesia Talayero

Biography:

I am a PhD student at the UCD School of Languages, Cultures, and Linguistics. I earned a master’s degree in Languages and Image Studies at UCD, and previously completed my BA in Hispanic Philology at the Universidad de León in Spain. My research interests include film analysis, with a particular focus on Mexican cinema, gender studies, and history.

Thesis Summary: 

My thesis examines the establishment and evolution of toxic masculinity in Mexican cinema between 1930 and 1970, from the Golden Age to industrial modernity. It analyses how film contributed to the construction, normalization, and transformation of hegemonic masculine ideals within the context of nation-building and cultural nationalism. Drawing on gender theory and film studies, the research explores a diverse corpus of canonical and lesser-studied films to trace how cinematic representations of masculinity promoted behaviours associated with emotional repression, violence, and gender hierarchy, and how these models continue to shape social perceptions of masculinity.