Borderline Technologies: "Bear Life" and Cyborg Theatre in the Work of Alejandro Ricaño

Alejandro Ricaño's work has received a great deal of attention due to the fact that he is one of the most well-known contemporary playwrights in Mexico. Several critics have noted his irreverent style and the harsh critiques that simmer just beneath the surface of his numerous plays. The present study builds on previous scholarship to theorize the role of technology in this playwright's oeuvre. Situating two particular plays—Más pequeños que el Guggenheim (2007) and Timboctou (2009)—as examples of cyborg theatre, this article argues that Ricaño imagines a world where people's access to technology (or the lack thereof) defines their privilege in the (inter)national arena. In many cases, the playwright amplifies the "bare life" of his characters by juxtaposing them with animals, machines, or both. Even as these comparisons serve to dehumanize his protagonists, they also serve to undermine the constructs of power that allow for these cases of dehumanization to exist in the first place. Ricaño is pessimistic about the potential for bringing about change at a macro level. Nevertheless, he shows that individuals can and do resist by ignoring those ideologies that relegate them to the periphery.