Founding Women and Their Fate: Mary Magdalene and La Malinche in the History of Interpretation Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

This study critically compares the histories of interpretation of Mary Magdalene and La Malinche, also known as Malintzin or Doña Marina. Both of these women played important roles in foundational events and narratives: Magdalene in the events surrounding the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and La Malinche in the Spanish Conquest of Mesoamerica that led to the establishment of modern Mexico. And both women have been variously reinterpreted over the centuries, including as female archetypes based on popular understandings of them as whores. Previous studies have critically reassessed each individual woman’s interpretive history, especially to challenge the women’s negative portrayals. There has not, however, been a comprehensive study of the striking similarities between the interpretive trajectories of these two women who lived in distinct times and places. This study undertakes this comparison in order to provide a new lens for viewing the interpretive trajectories of Mary Magdalene and La Malinche and to address broader hermeneutical and ethical issues that arise from attempts to reinterpret people from the past to address new contexts.

The study begins by analyzing the primary sources for each woman’s life, and then how the women are subsequently interpreted according to changing social, political, and theological concerns. The final chapter critically compares Magdalene and La Malinche’s interpretive arcs. This includes analysis of more recent scholarly efforts, especially by feminist and Chicana interpreters, to challenge earlier interpretations of the women that are deemed to lack historical basis and objectify both the women of the past and those living in the shadow of their stereotypes in the present. Responding to these concerns, the study demonstrates how its comparative analysis of the women’s interpretive arcs further disrupts their prominent stereotypes as whores. It then argues that this analysis reveals the ambiguous relationship between history, myth, ideology, and ethics, making any attempt to use foundational narratives or figures to address present-day concerns potentially problematic. The study concludes by putting forward strategies to negotiate these concerns.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Mary Magdalene in the New Testament Gospels

Chapter 3: Mary Magdalene Interpretations, from the Second Century to the Present

Chapter 4: La Malinche in the Earliest Sources

Chapter 5: La Malinche Interpretations, from the Fifteenth Century to the Present

Chapter 6: Comparative Analysis of Mary Magdalene and La Malinche's Interpretive Histories

About this Dissertation

Rights statement

• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Religion
Subfield / Discipline	New Testament
Degree	Ph.D.
Submission	Dissertation
Language	English
Research Field	Religion, Biblical Studies History, Latin American
Parola chiave	Mary Magdalene Chicano Feminism La Malinche Feminist Interpretation Reception History Hermeneutics Chicana Mexican History History of Interpretation Malintzin Doña Marina
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Johnson, Luke Timothy, Emory University
Committee Members	Scully, Pamela, Emory University Kraftchick, Steven, Emory University Hylen, Susan, Emory University

Ultima modifica

Primary PDF

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Actions
	File download under embargo until 20 May 2025	2019-04-03 16:07:16 -0400	File download under embargo until 20 May 2025

Supplemental Files

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Actions