The University of British Columbia
UBC - A Place of Mind
The University of British Columbia
Introduction to Latin American Studies
  • Home
  • About
  • Schedule
  • Videos
    • Lecture Videos
    • Behind the Scenes Videos
    • Interview Videos
    • Student Videos
  • Blogs
  • Concepts
  • Assessment
  • Playlist
  • Contact
Home / Porfirio Díaz

Tags

Argentina Bolívar Brazil casta paintings caudillos Chile Chávez Citizenship colonialism colonization Columbus communism Cuba democracy Diaz emancipation Evita feminism Guatemala history independence introductions latin america liberalism Mexico modernity Peru Perón politics populism Porfirio Díaz Power race racism radio Research Assignment revolution rights slavery Terror Uncategorized United States USA Venezuela violence

Porfirio Díaz

Week 7: Porfirio Díaz

I think this primary source was the most interesting yet for me to read. Having always thought of Díaz as a violent dictator, it was really fascinating to see an American account of how he was the democratic ideal. There were a few spots in the article that I found particularly compelling.

The first was how Díaz referred to an opposing political party as “enemies.” It seemed so obvious to me at this moment that he was incredibly disingenuous about his political processes. Democratic discourse is not a question of enemies but rather fair opposition. In light of the fact that he rigged the election against Madero in 1910. The second was the American sentiment that saturated the piece. As an American myself, there is often this sort of trope of someone who starts from nowhere and then picks himself up and becomes wealthy. I think the idea that Díaz came from little and was able to become the father of modernization in Mexico was particularly consumable to an American audience. The third observation was how little the reporter reacted to the unjust killings of various individuals who were seen as threats to the state. I guess it just goes to show how superficial ideas of Díaz’s democracy were. Democracy was about modernization rather than rights.

In my history of Mexico class, there are some students from Mexico and also more broadly other Latin American countries. In one of our lectures about Díaz, they mentioned a changing perception of him as a cultural figure. In the past, he was seen as a villain due to the rampant corruption and violence in his regime, yet there is a new wave of people who are acknowledging and celebrating his work as the modernizer of the country. In this way, the situation sort of reminds me of modern-day politics in the United States. Do people prioritize the economy over human rights? It seems more and more that the first is elevated as a measure of success for a country.

I am not surprised that the American journalist painted such a rosy and romantic image of Porfirio Díaz. The United States frequently uses democracy as a guise for violence and destabilization in various countries. The interview was likely tainted by trade deals and economic ties between the United States and Mexico. As long as countries in Latin America satisfied American desires for production they were left alone.

Posted in Blogs, Week 7 | Tagged with development, Mexico, neoliberalism, Porfirio Díaz

Week 7| Water, Land, and Education in a Modern Society.

The paradox of the “Order, then process” governmental system of the Golden Era made me understand how the regime systems of Latin America functions nowadays. While watching Alec Dawson’s video, the dots from the Porfirio Díaz interview started making sense in my head. It’s quite shocking to see how the Mantra of the export boomContinue reading “Week 7| Water, Land, and Education in a Modern Society.”

Posted in Blogs, Week 7 | Tagged with Alexander Dawson, Golden Age, latin america, Modernity without Liberty, Order Then Progress, Porfirio Díaz

week 7: The Export Boom as Modernity

The modernity period for many countries in Latin America were composed of advancements in areas such as building infrastructure, roads, train rails, grand buildings in European fashion. But in other aspects the modernity period in Latin America was extremely different than the one experienced in other parts of the world at the time. The main […]

Posted in Blogs, Week 7 | Tagged with Mexico, modernity, Porfirio Díaz

Week 8 – Signs of Crisis

Diaz’s proclamation, in 1908, that he would not run for the presidency opened the floodgates for countless marginalized groups to speak out against modernization. Groups that had for decades been silenced, displaced, repressed, and forced to work for the capitalist … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogs, Week 8 | Tagged with Capitalism, indigenous, Mexican Revolution, modernity, Porfirio Díaz, revolution, Zapata

Short Research Assignment

Group: The Export Boom as Modernity Symbolism, solitude and modernity: science and scientists in Porfirian Mexico Author: Natalia Priego Priego, Natalia. (2008). Symbolism, solitude and modernity: science and scientists in porfirian Mexico. História, Ciências, Saúde-Manguinhos, 15(2), 473-485. https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0104-59702008000200016   Natalia Priego begins by … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogs, Week 11 | Tagged with crisis of representation, elites, final video project, identity, indigenous, modernity, Porfirio Díaz, Research Assignment, video project

Week 8 – Signs of Crisis in a Gilded Age

Mea maxima culpa for the tardiness of my blog entry…this week has been——precious I continue to be mind boggled over the importance assigned to the idea of race. Ultimately, we are all members of the human race. Some of us are taller or shorter, fatter or skinnier—darker or lighter. It amazes me the importance that […]

Posted in Blogs, Week 8 | Tagged with Creelman, Darwin, Guilded Age, Mexican Revolution, Porfirio Díaz, Vasconsuelos

Twentieth century: an era of plurality? – week 8

With the turn of the twentieth century in Mexico, social forces that had long been oppressed by Porfirio Diaz’s regime saw in his promise for fair elections in 1910, an opportunity to act. What becomes clear, however, is that those emerging social movements are not as homogenous, hierarchically organized nor as experienced in governance as the existing regime. Though these various actors in the Mexican Revolution could agree that something should change, what, and how things should change was far from consensus. Does an increasing political consciousness among peasant and…read more

Posted in Blogs, Week 8 | Tagged with Bolshevik Revolution, globalization, governance, heterogeneity, homogeneity, International socialism, Jose Vasconselo, Mexican Revolution, peasant class, pluralism, Porfirio Díaz, revolution, Rubén Darío, semana tragica, twentieth century, USA Imperialism, Working class

Week Eight

It seems that every nation has had a revolution and that this internal crisis is like a rite of passage…

Posted in Blogs, Week 8 | Tagged with Emiliano Zapata, history, Icons, Injustice, Mexican Revolution, pancho villa, Porfirio Díaz, Zapatistas

Week 7

This week’s lecture was one of the most interesting ones for me. During my childhood I was taught about Porfirio Diaz and his “iron fist” rule through school. However, when I think of Mexico at that time my mind immediately goes to the Mexican Revolution. Looking back on it now, it seems very logical that […]

Posted in Blogs | Tagged with innovation, modernization, Porfirio Díaz, revolution

Week 7: “Modernizing” forces in Latin America

This weeks content focused on the idea of modernity Latin American. Modernity in Latin America and a difficult concept that continues to be debated today. As such a broad idea, it seems to tie into many subjects that we have covered so far in this course. It can be thought of in the context of […]

Posted in Blogs, Week 7 | Tagged with democracy, dictator, Mexico, modernization, Porfirio Díaz, Railroads, revolution

  • Previous
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next
Creative Commons License
Except where otherwise noted, this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Latin American Studies
Faculty of Arts
Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z2
Website las.arts.ubc.ca
Email las.program@ubc.ca
Find us on
   
Back to top
The University of British Columbia
  • Emergency Procedures |
  • Terms of Use |
  • Copyright |
  • Accessibility