Political Culture of Twentieth Century Mexico
ESSAY 1: Nation and Cultural Revolution in Mexico, 1920-1940
Requirements:
- FORMAT: 5 pages, double spaced, 12-point font, Word doc, CMS citations
- REQUIRED SOURCES: Campobello and all readings in week 7
- SUBMISSION: Moodle upload
The political efforts of the three major revolutionary presidents (Alvaro Obregón, Plutarco Calles, and Lázaro Cardenas) and major agrarian and labor reform movements marked the institutional phase of the Mexican Revolution. The period also produced revolutionary cultural campaigns that came to define twentieth century Mexican culture. However, many historians argue that state projects were not successful impositions from above, but rather transformed projects that resulted from negotiations between the state and society. In other words, the cultural revolution that shaped modern Mexican identity grew out of a process of cultural rejection, accommodation, and/or adaptation.
To what extent was revolutionary culture the result of negotiation between local and national interests and shaped by Mexicans of all classes, races and genders? Using the Campobello novellas and the scholarly articles by López, Velázquez/Vaughan, Vaughn and Bantjes, examine how the public responded to the cultural production (literary, musical, artistic) and anticlerical and education campaigns of the state.
The main goal with this assignment is to develop clear, reasonable and well-developed central and supporting arguments about the development of revolutionary culture from 1920-1940. You must define your thesis and sub-arguments with precision and draw selectively upon your sources. This assignment allows you the opportunity to exercise individual initiative in constructing an argument, engaging the required readings, and organizing and analyzing the material to best advantage. No external sources and additional research are allowed. Since written expression is so vital to conveying the subtleties of an issue, papers will be evaluated for content, organization and composition equally.