Blogs

In the beginning of the chapter, Dawson points out that “poor Brazilians had more power as consumers of popular music than they did as workers or citizens”. It is an interesting statement because it prompts me to believe that the concept of people buying beneficial products for themselves could be more democratic than “democratic governments” … read full post >>

In this weeks readings we saw how the United States impacted much of Latin America. United States took pride in being an anti imperialist nation, although this claim was very far stretched. The foreign policy of the US at that time was based on hidden and often corrupt deals with other government officials or prominent … Continue reading "9- Commerce, Coercion, and America’s Empire" read full post >>

This week we learned through Alexander Dawson’s reading and his video about modernity. Modernity as he phrased is can be defined as “having a number of elements” such as innovation, emancipation, secularization, and universalism. We focused on modernity in Mexico where in society there were many groups of people who wanted to become modern but […] read full post >>

This week we learned through Alexander Dawson’s reading and his video about modernity. Modernity as he phrased is can be defined as “having a number of elements” such as innovation, emancipation, secularization, and universalism. We focused on modernity in Mexico where in society there were many groups of people who wanted to become modern but […] read full post >>

Populism has been one of the defining characteristics of politics in Latin America. Since it’s inception with the Caudillos in the 19th century, populism started fading, only to resurface in the politically complicated 1930’s. Populism consisted of empowering the people to participate in politics by utilizing anti-corporate/anti-elite discourse and promising reform to benefit the majority […] read full post >>

The radio was brought to Latin American in the 1920’s and was immediately followed by a movement of the people. For the first time lines between the different social classes began to blur as social information was available to all, unlike the newspaper, which was not an option for the illiterate poor of Latin America. “Elite nationalists could often belt out the same ballad as the shopkeeper, each with as much conviction as the other. Their shared enthusiasms remind us that the common tastes developed and cultivated in these settings...read more read full post >>

For the past few weeks I've spent a lot of time trying to decide if critiquing modernity was useful and even more than that, justified. The way Dawson's framed development in the last few chapters is that it more often than not detrimentally affects La... read full post >>

For the past few weeks I've spent a lot of time trying to decide if critiquing modernity was useful and even more than that, justified. The way Dawson's framed development in the last few chapters is that it more often than not detrimentally affects La... read full post >>

For the past few weeks I've spent a lot of time trying to decide if critiquing modernity was useful and even more than that, justified. The way Dawson's framed development in the last few chapters is that it more often than not detrimentally affects Latin America; even now in this chapter as Dawson discusses Belmont cigarettes, he talks about it as a harmful instrument used by the North to get Latin Americans to consume their products. Furthermore, from what I've seen modernity continues to reproduce harmful hierarchies about who is modern and who is not, who is rich and who is not. It frames people as traditional or westernized which is annoying to say the least. The idea of modernity is that if you're not assimilated into what the West thinks as developed, you're an uneducated savage.

However... I can understand the argument, there are certain medicines, ideologies, technologies, etc. that i believe are modern and everyone deserves to have, but then again that's a perspective from someone who has been raised in the West and thinks like a Western person. My critique then, is if modernity is so great and development is the natural point of which all civilizations grow towards why does it always seem like one person is always suffering at the hands of modernity? And is it not a form of cultural imperialism for a country to impose it's ideas on another?

I also don't agree with the way Dawson frames the United States as an anti-imperialist nation because the U.S. doesn't directly colonize nations. He virtuously ignores the violent colonization of Hawaii, the Philippines and Puerto Rico. But even if I disregard that, imperialism is the direct involvement of another country trying to extend it's powers upon a different nation — America's interventions in Latin American affairs could not be a clearer portrayal of imperialism. Dawson writes that framing the United States as a violent oppressor or noble saviour serves a political interest but does little to reveal nuanced truths. I sort of agree...? But he really doesn't even have a good argument for this. Like yeah okay both are consuming each other, but you can't deny that one is gaining way more than the other. It's like when Columbus traded broken plates for gold with the indigenous population... sure they're both getting something, but it's not equal by any means and to try to claim it like it is, is nothing short of egregious. read full post >>

In an article from Politico Magazine, Donald Trump is compared to the caudillos of Latin America. Since this source comes from a magazine, it may not necessarily be the most academic, but I think it is very relevant to our studies on caudillos. It relates Latin American history to the modern day United States and […] read full post >>