Ignacio Corona will conduct research in Brazil for three months examining the topic The Cultural Reception of Nelson Rodrigues’ Transvestite Chronicles.

Ignacio Corona, an associate professor of literatures and cultures of Latin America in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at The Ohio State University, has been awarded the prestigious Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad (FRA) Fellowship by the U.S. Department of Education, International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) office. Faculty conduct research abroad in modern foreign languages and area studies to improve their skill in languages and their knowledge of the culture of the people of these countries through the FRA grant. Nationwide across all disciplines only 10 Faculty Research Abroad Fellowships were awarded.

Corona will conduct research in Brazil for three months examining the topic The Cultural Reception of Nelson Rodrigues’ Transvestite Chronicles.

Corona’s project investigates the cultural reception of Nelson Rodrigues’ “transvestite chronicles” (1944-56) – that literary journalism written under a female pseudonym. This impersonation occurs in a discursive vehicle – the newspaper – paradoxically associated with the reliable communication of true events. Considered Brazil’s most innovative playwright, and most censored author, Rodrigues is but one of several influential Latin American writer-journalists who resorted to such a gender pretense during the heyday of a press-based public sphere. This form of fake female writing reinforced a certain rhetorical and communicative stance and supported a patriarchal discourse in the newspaper.

An expert in Mexican and Latin/o American Cultural and Literary Studies, Corona earned his Licenciatura in Philosophy at the Universidad de Guadalajara (1984), a Master of Arts from New Mexico State University (2019), and his PhD at Stanford (1996).

The Office of International Affairs administers the Fulbright-Hays program for Ohio State, and grant competitions are held annually. Faculty interested in applying for the award must contact Fulbright-Hays program director, Joanna Kukielka-Blaser.