The Ties That Bind comprises the first collection of critical essays that explore the family system in Spanish and Latin American culture. This thought-provoking volume addresses the intersection of language, narrative structure, social reality, and family dynamics through examples from a diverse range of literary works, including Cervantes' Don Quijote, Reinaldo Arenas' Celestino antes del alba, and the Chicano film My Family/Mi Familia. Issues of feminism, gender and sexuality, abuse, trauma, and communication take the forefront in this ground-breaking book, which takes psychological...

Lesbian images are everywhere these days-cable television, film, popular magazines, advertising, Internet and the news-creating desire in men and women alike, selling commercial products and services, and stirring up controversy on many levels. But do these images truly represent the diverse identities of women-centered women worldwide? This book addresses the limited access to images of diverse and international lesbian identities and experiences, in order to provide the reader with a more complete understanding of what it means to be lesbian in a global context. It investigates how lesbians...