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This week’s reading dealt with the ‘modernity’ of Latin America with the global export boom of the late 19th C. I found it interesting that in order for a country to modernize, it had to adopt European/North American technology, economy, style, etc. While the broad overview of countries in Latin America increasing their exports and […] read full post >>

Firstly, I need to say that people from Mexico used to think that Porfirio Diaz wasn’t a good person, he did know how to build a country talking about economy but he never treated Mexican people as true citizens. In those times, the economy was very stable because of the new agricultural wealth, industry and […] read full post >>

The link between the modernity and photography is what I found most interesting in this week’s readings being a hobbyist photographer myself and an admirer of all things art. Yet, I did find the portrait photographs shown in the text very upsetting. However, I do believe that, that is perhaps what the photograph was trying […] read full post >>

A couple years ago when I was in Brazil, I visited the city of Manaus – a city surrounded by the Amazon rainforest.  Due to its advantageous location, Manaus was highly involved in the business of extracting and exporting rubber from the Amazon’s abundant rubber trees during the age of exportation.  The wealth acquired by […] read full post >>

This week’s reading discusses the impact of export on the development of the economy and Latin America as a whole. It was interesting to learn that the boom of Latin America was largely due to the rising economies of North America and Europe. These growing economies were in great need of raw materials and resources and… Continue reading Week Seven – The Export Boom as Modernity read full post >>

Modernity came to Latin America tied to two basic principles: Order, and Progress. With order came progress, and with progress came modernity. Modernity was closely tied to capitalism, growth of the gross domestic product (GDP), increased foreign investment, and paying off national debt. Modernization meant having street-lamps, railways, automobiles, and flight, among other similar things. […] read full post >>

The link that Dawson makes between photography and modernity is very interesting to me. Growing up in an era where cellphones and taking pictures or “selfies” is not uncommon, thinking of having your picture taken and have the many aspects about it define who you are, is very intriguing. The way you dress, the way … read full post >>

What struck me most from this week’s reading was the extent to which Western ideas, cultures, and customs appeared to... read full post >>

What struck me most from this week’s reading was the extent to which Western ideas, cultures, and customs appeared to... read full post >>

The topic of modernity is one that has two very distinct sides to it. On one hand you have those that whole hardly support it, these people were traditionally living in large cities and felt the benefits of a more comfortable lifestyle. However on the other hand, you have those who lived in rural or poorer communities. To them it was “a sad tale of economic dependency, at a time when powerful foreign interests and a small elite found new ways to monopolize Latin America’s wealth, while the vast majority...read more read full post >>