Hybridity in New World Baroque Theory

Abstract This article surveys a genealogy of 20th-century writings on the cultural study of baroque art, literature, and architecture produced in Latin America during the colonial period. It explores the role that theorizing the hybrid plays in works by "neobaroque" authors like José Lezama Lima, Alejo Carpentier, and Severo Sarduy and how they define in their works a "New World baroque" aesthetic that is distinct from European sources. The article focuses on Lezama Lima’s influential contribution to the debate.