History 354 - Hist Of Mexico

This course traces the history of Mexican society, politics, and culture from the late 18th century to the present. The first half analyzes the turbulent formation of Mexico, the legacies of Spanish colonialism, peasant uprisings of the 19th century, and the origins and course of the famous Revolution of 1910. The second half focuses on the century since the revolution, including the consolidation of a conservative one-party state, the so-called "Mexican miracle" of the mid-20th century, the adoption of neoliberal economic policies starting in the 1980s, and the ongoing political struggles of workers, peasants, women, students, and indigenous people. Equipped with this historical grounding, we will then try to make sense of the crises of neoliberalism, drug-related violence, and declining state legitimacy in the early part of this century. Previous Latin American history survey desirable.

Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. This course explores Mexico?s society, economy, politics, and culture, with a focus on the last two centuries. We will analyze pre-Hispanic societies and the legacies of Spanish colonialism, the expansion of capitalism in the 19th century, the Revolution of 1910, the consolidation of an authoritarian state, the ?Mexican miracle? of the 1940s?1960s, the impacts of neoliberal economic policies, and the ongoing struggles of workers, peasants, women, students, Indigenous people, urban slum dwellers, and other groups. The formal transition to democracy in the early 21st century has not brought the peace, prosperity, and stability to Mexico that many had hoped it would. We will use our historical knowledge to help make sense of current problems, including the growing climate catastrophe, drug-related violence, labor exploitation and poverty, ethnic and racial exclusion, and gender oppression.

The histories of Mexico and the United States are so deeply interlinked that this course is also a U.S. history course. We will pay special attention to the connections between the two countries, from the 1846 U.S. invasion of Mexico to the many ways that our fates are intertwined today. As we will see, the U.S.-Mexico relationship, and the border itself, embody some of the most pressing contradictions facing humanity today.