Week 8: Signs of Crisis in a Gilded Age

This week's readings illustrated the effects of modernization that landed to Latin America slowly and unevenly. While modernization seemingly pushed societies forward by introducing new forms of technology and infrastructure, it only benefitted big cities and the elites, leaving the countryside struggling. Juan Carlos Mariátegui criticizes in "The Problem of the Indian"  the gamonalismo system in Peru, which allowed the European landowners exploit the indigenous people. He proposes that the feudal system should be revoked and the indigenous allowed to own their land. This piece reflects the issues that the people living in rural areas, mostly indigenous encountered even if modernization had begun. Through all of this weeks readings it becomes evident that Latin America had profound admiration towards their North American counterparts, but simultaneously they viewed themselves fundamentally different from them. This is especially highlighted in Daríos poem in which he acknowledges and admires the power of the United States but at the same time he romanticizes the uniqueness of the Latin Americas. 

Finally, I would like to say a couple words about the "La raza cosmica". As thrilled as I was to read about someone arguing against racism, I was quite disappointed. Vasconcelos argued that a mixed race would result in the best outcome, since it would make use of all the best qualities of each race and discard the worst qualities. He thought that this cosmic race would originate in the Latin America, which was so diverse in its nature. Vasconcelos states in his writing: "The theory of ethnic superiority has been simply a means of combat[...]" He believes that scientific eugenics isn't valid science and it should not be applied. However, in my opinion he falls in the same trap by arguing that the "cosmic race" is inherently better than another race, no matter what the "reasons" for this superiority are. 

A similarity which I found between Daríos and Vasconcelos's arguments was that Latin Americans are inherently better because of love. Vasconcelos stated it more clearly that it is due to religiousness and Jesus that their people are capable of such love that would result in a better human race. Similarily, Darío says: "Catholic America, Spanish America, the America where noble Cuauthémoc said: “I am not in a bed of roses”—our America, trembling with hurricanes, trembling with Love: O men with Saxon eyes and barbarous souls, our America lives. And dreams. And loves." Both seem to believe that Latin Americans are better because of love and religion, which their North American counterparts are at lack of. 


Question: What differences can we observe between Latin Americans and North Americans? Do you think religiousness equals love? 


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Week 12: Speaking Truth to Power

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Introduction

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Hello everyone!  My name is Emilia and I'm a 2nd year sociology student at UBC. I was born and raised in Helsinki, Finland, where I'll be spending this winter term. When I started at UBC I had planned to major in cognitive systems, which then turned out to be the wrong program for me. Hence, I changed into sociology and now I'm considering taking Latin American Studies either as another major or as a minor. My interest in Latin America primarily comes from my high school exchange year to Argentina. I spent a year living in Córdoba Capital, went to school there and experienced their day-to-day life. I fell in love with the culture, language and their way of living. I was also able to visit Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay and later on (last reading week, hahah) Mexico. I am not sure where a passion like this could lead in the future, but for now I am excited to gain insight of the region from an academic perspective. I look forward to gain a better understanding of the Latin Americ
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