A brilliant discussion of gender and the political seriousness of humor, this book ingeniously invites the audience to ‘read the funny pages’ while taking students on a rigorous analytical journey about the politics of Latin American modernity. “ Mafalda combines the best traditions of Latin American social and political history. Isabella Cosse takes us on a global journey to reveal how and why a simple comic strip that began in Argentina in the 1960s found resonance and took root in Western Europe during the early 1970s, became a unifying symbol of Latin America's ‘continental identity’ in the 1980s, and evolved into a mass-marketed icon whose namesake-the puckish, prepubescent, feminist rebel, Mafalda-is today recognized the world over.” - Eric Zolov, author of The Last Good Neighbor: Mexico in the Global Sixties “This is transnational cultural history at its best. Analyzing how Mafalda reflects generational conflicts, gender, modernization, the Cold War, authoritarianism, neoliberalism, and much more, Cosse demonstrates the unexpected power of humor to shape revolution and resistance. From Mafalda breaking the fourth wall to speak directly to readers to express her opposition to the 1966 Argentine coup, to Spanish students' protest signs bearing her face, to the comic's cult status in Korea, Cosse provides insights into the cartoon's production, circulation, and incorporation into social and political conversations. In Mafalda: A Social and Political History of Latin America's Global Comic-first published in Argentina in 2014 and appearing here in English for the first time-Isabella Cosse analyzes the comic's vast appeal across multiple generations.

Through Mafalda, Argentine cartoonist Joaquín Salvador Lavado explores complex questions about class identity, modernization, and state violence. Since its creation in 1964, readers from all over the world have loved the comic Mafalda, primarily because of the sharp wit and rebellious nature of its title character-a four-year-old girl who is wise beyond her years.

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