The Illusion of Ignorance

Constructing the American Encounter with Mexico, 1877-1920

By (author) Janice Lee Jayes

Publication date:

30 June 2011

Length of book:

268 pages

Publisher

UPA

ISBN-13: 9780761853541

The Illusion of Ignorance examines the cultural politics of the American encounter with Porfirian Mexico as a precursor and model for the twentieth-century American encounter with the world. Detailed discussions of the logistics of conducting diplomacy, doing business, or traveling abroad in the era give readers a vivid picture of how Americans experienced this age of international expansion, while contrasting Mexican and American visions of the changing relationship. In the end, Mexico's efforts to promote Mexico as a partner in progress with the U.S. was lost to an American illusion schizophrenically divided between fantasies of American leadership toward, and refuge from, modernity. The Illusion of Ignorance argues that American ignorance of the experience of other nations is not so much a barrier to better understanding of the world, but a strategy Americans have chosen to maintain their vision of the U.S. relationship with the world.

Chapter 1 Introduction: Donkeys and Diplomats
Part 2 Part I: Diplomatic Fictions: John W. Foster's Mission to Mexico, 1873-80
Chapter 3 Introduction: Of Missions and Memoirs
Chapter 4 Chapter 1. "The Most Difficult Mission on the Western Hemisphere"
Chapter 5 Chapter 2. Awaiting the Descent into Chaos
Chapter 6 Chapter 3. The "Inconvenient" Mr. Foster
Chapter 7 Conclusion: "Such Intimate Connection to the People"
Part 8 Part II: A War of Words: Rewriting the Vocabulary of U.S.-Mexican Relations
Chapter 9 Introduction: "The True Lifeguard of Our Nationality"
Chapter 10 Chapter 4: "The Language of Business"
Chapter 11 Chapter 5: "Sister Republics"
Chapter 12 Conclusion: "Order and Progress"
Part 13 Part III: "Mexico, the Wonderland of the South!"
Chapter 14 Introduction: Pilgrims to Paradise
Chapter 15 Chapter 6: From Education to Escape: American Tourism in Porfirian Mexico
Chapter 16 Chapter 7: Sombreros and Aztec Villages: Mexico on the American Fairgrounds
Chapter 17 Chapter 8. Writing the Revolution
Chapter 18 Conclusion: Trading Progress for Paradise
Chapter 19 Epilogue: Donkeys, Diplomats and the Illusion of Ignorance

Jayes, a scholar with a background in international study and teaching, examines the way Americans think about Mexicans by dissecting the relationship between Mexico and the US during the Porfiriato (1877-1910). Under Porfirio Díaz, Mexico sought to carve out respectability in the eyes of its northern neighbor. Jayes notes that this effort failed, leaving a legacy of misunderstanding and ignorance toward Mexico and its people in the eyes of many in the US. She argues that Mexican stereotypes, constructed through experiences by three groups (diplomats, tourists, and merchants) shaped US views toward Mexico that persist today. Despite the Díaz administration's attempt to cast Mexico as a modern and viable economic and cultural counterpart, US observers developed a fascination with Mexico's primitive past instead of its modern potential. Easy to read and comprehend while offering good detail and quality research, this is a solid entry for faculty or students interested in Mexico or US foreign relations. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic libraries.