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Decolonization and the Fear of Re-colonization

Many of these articles try to formulate a tactic for unraveling colonialism. Rubén Darío in “To Roosevelt” denounces the Americans for their imperialist motives over Latin America. He makes it a point that Americans use violence to dominate and to dictate the path in which progress must take in Latin America. Rubén fights this imperialism by enumerating the greats of Latin America, suggesting that progress can come from places other than the United States. He also mentions that Latin America has yet to have finished decolonizing after independence from Spain when already they have the states breathing down their necks. He writes, “You are the United States, / future invader of our naive land / with its Indian blood, an America / that still prays to Christ and still speaks Spanish”. José Vasconcelos tackles the race problem very differently. For Vasconcelos, rising above the imperial impact of colonization means rising above the race problem. His solution is to create the fifth race, the cosmic race (a mixed, interracial race in which the best qualities of every race create a superior being) by following three laws. He suggests that Latin America can be great, no, they can be the new imperial power if those who have abandoned their lower appetites (of material, physicality), elevated their interests to that of the higher appetites of intellect and politics (of the mind), then those fit will indulge naturally in procreation dictated by taste. Those who are to low and ugly will naturally be weeded out of the process since this framework is one based on aesthetic and not race. Vasconcelos attempts to rid Latin America of the race problem by creating an equally problematic issue based on aesthetics! He still uses the science he distastes in its use for race, condones eugenics, and believes in the manufacturing of a superior race.

Emiliano Zapata “The Plan of Ayala” and José Carlos Mariátegui in “The Problem of the Indian” take a different approach to decolonization. Their focus is driven by internal conflicts of colonization instead of the fear of an imperial Other. Zapata is angry in his piece because the promises of the 1910 revolution have not been met. He accuses Madero of manipulation of the rural class to gain popularity and rise to power and breaking his promises and turning his back on the principles of the revolution. Zapata finds his actions unacceptable because they enslave the campesina population and reduce them to a state of poverty and displacement a the hands of modernity. Their support of Madero was given that he could overturn the damages of Díaz in his three decade reign over Mexico. His regime lead to the colonization of campesina land through privatization pushing the people out and into more impoverished areas. Mariátegui in many ways follows along this discussion by calling out every scholar and politician that has attempted to construct the Indian problem as purely a social and political problem. He makes clear that the Indian problem is an economic one that is deeply embedded in land tenure. The displacement of the people and the laws of the leadership have made Indian life impossible. It excludes them from legal and political participation and constructs their social disadvantages. All in all, these articles are in their own way a call for decolonization in order to better the state of Latin America. 

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Signs of Crisis in a Gilded Age

Rubén Darío’s short poem, “To Roosevelt,” written in 1904 is a rejection of US power over the entire Americas.  Darío wrote this poem after the US intervention with the Panama Canal, and is making a point that the power and greatness of the US does not have the complete authority in which they believe.  
He begins the poem by explaining the attitude of the US; one of which is egocentric, great, and at the same time quite simple minded.  The US is pushed by its motto of liberty but this does not justify its control over other nations. “You think that life is a fire” he explains to Roosevelt; meaning that there is limitless expansion, limitless power.  But Darío states this as a huge misconception, as the US does not see the entire picture.  
Darío is able to express the spirit of latin america by reference to culture and history before colonialism.  He also expresses the adaptaton after colonialism which included now the prideful Spanish Language and Catholic religion.  The closing words of the poem really drive home Daríos primary message; despite the power and pull that the US possesses they will not be able to conquer Latin America, “Roosevelt, you must become, by God’s own will, the deadly Rifleman and the dreadful Hunter before you can clutch us in your iron claws.  And though you have everything you are lacking one thing: God!”

The next document I would like to touch on is José Carlos Mariátegui’s, “The Problem of the Indian,” 1928.  Taking a Marxist approach, Mariátegui addresses the problem that the Peruvian Indigenous face.  He explains the complexity of the past approaches– Legislation, laws, and politics have not been taking the right measures to secure Indian protection.  He explains that the written law does not protect the people as it is disregarded regularly. The various theoretical, ideological and political approaches of the past have mistakenly interpreted the Indigenous protection as a quick legislative fix.  Mariátegui proposes that  the land tenure system of the economy should be focal point.  He explains that the communist indigenous working mechanisms will be able to defeat capitalism in Peru. 

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James Creelman, “Porfirio Díaz, Hero of the Americas"

I found the interviewer, James Creelman, to be completely captivated and enthralled by Porfirio Díaz, as we can see from the language he uses. The “master and hero of modern Mexico”, with “dark brown eyes that search your soul, soften into inexpressib…

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James Creelman, “Porfirio Díaz, Hero of the Americas"

I found the interviewer, James Creelman, to be completely captivated and enthralled by Porfirio Díaz, as we can see from the language he uses. The “master and hero of modern Mexico”, with “dark brown eyes that search your soul, soften into inexpressible kindliness and then dart quick side looks—terrible eyes, threatening eyes, loving, confiding, humorous eyes”, who has “transformed a republic into an autocracy by the absolute compulsion of courage and character”… and soon.
Creelman also paints an idyllic picture of Mexico and Diaz’s castle: “And what an unforgettable vision of color, movement and romance it was!”
Diaz believes in true democracy, but only when the country is ready for it. Now that he finds Mexico more stable economically and more peaceful, he believes that he can step down from office and still have the country retain its stability. He believes in a forceful method of establishing peace, whether it’s by capital punishment or by a very rigid school curriculum. This is not surprising, as he is an army General as well as president. His railways helped increase infrastructure and industry, spiking the country’s economy. It seems that even the US Secretary of State Elihu Root could only conjure idealist and picturesque thoughts about Diaz and his Mexico. Creelman continues to reference the smooth beauty and loveliness of Mexico. He manages to marry the harshness of industry and the natural beauty of Mexico to create a perfect image of Diaz’s legacy.

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Week 8: On “Signs of Crisis in a Gilded Age”

In this chapter, the crises of Latin America during a period of remarkable economic development were social unrests invoked by two underprivileged groups: the peasants, as in the Mexican rebellion, and the working class, as in the Argentine strike. However, it is the other group that became my center of interest: the elites, the statesmen, […]

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Week 8: On “Signs of Crisis in a Gilded Age”

In this chapter, the crises of Latin America during a period of remarkable economic development were social unrests invoked by two underprivileged groups: the peasants, as in the Mexican rebellion, and the working class, as in the Argentine strike. However, it is the other group that became my center of interest: the elites, the statesmen, […]

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Signs of Crisis in Gilded Age

In Ruben Dario’s poem, he alternatively offers an overturn to the North American assumptions about their own superiority. In Zapata’s text he declares a war against Madero, for not complying with the promises he made and has intentionally ignored and silenced the pueblos who demand from him the fulfillment of the promises he made. This […]

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Signs of Crisis in Gilded Age

In Ruben Dario’s poem, he alternatively offers an overturn to the North American assumptions about their own superiority. In Zapata’s text he declares a war against Madero, for not complying with the promises he made and has intentionally ignored and silenced the pueblos who demand from him the fulfillment of the promises he made. This […]

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Modernity

Reading the “Porfirio Diaz, Hero of Americas” I was suprised how one man could rule such a long time in Latin-America. It was a nearly 30 years rule, and he was made to be considered a national hero, but as … Continue reading →

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A Representation of Porfirio Diaz

This weeks reading was an article written in 1908 by James Creelman titles “Porfirio Díaz, Hero of the Americas”. The article is an attempt to create a benevolent image if Diaz in his last year of presidency. Although Diaz was seen by many as an authoritarian leader, the article tries to let Diaz justify his strict policies of capital punishment and rights to vote. the President acknowledges that they “were harsh to the point of cruelty. But it was all necessary then to the life and progress of the nation”. Aside from flattering descriptions of the President’s appearance, the article is laced with a number of contradictions. One is in regards to his reasoning for the restrictions put on priests. Diaz claims to be a believer in democracy however restricted priests not only from wearing “distinctive dress” in public but also, he “allowed no priest to vote”. His reason being, was so that “the humblest Mexican shall be so far freed from the past that he can stand upright and unafraid in the presence of any human being”. However, a typical photo of Diaz is usually in distinctive military dress, which does not free people of the past and it comes across as intimidating. Not to mention the descriptions of Diaz in this article seem to create him into some sort of super-human, or at least someone to be admired and seen as ‘above’ the rest. I think that the article can be convincing at times, however only if one is not aware of, or forgets Diaz’s history of authoritarian leadership. I wonder, what was the author’s intention in writing this article? was it to give the President a ‘final word’ before his retirement? what was the point in describing him in such a ‘romantic’ way? was this simply the trending style of writer’s at the time to gain interest from the reader? I do not know a lot about the history of Porfirio Diaz, and honestly never heard the name before this week. Perhaps there are other’s that might say this article had political intentions, however, i cannot say that because i do not know enough. It does seem that the author is intentionally portraying Diaz in a way that seems very suggestive. There seems to be a lot of focus on the economic growth of Mexico during the time Diaz was in power. However, to me, this does not seem to paint the whole picture of a countries success, happiness, and freedom. What is the reasoning for this focus? Is it because there was such an economic boom in Latin America at the time that liberalism and the growing market was their evaluation of success?

 
  

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