Problems in Modern Mexican History

Sources and Interpretations

Edited by William H. Beezley, Monica A. Rankin

Not available to order

Publication date:

20 April 2017

Length of book:

310 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442241237

Mexicans, since national independence, have defined their challenges as problems or dimensions in their lives. They have faced these issues alone or with others through politics, security (the military, police, or even public health squads), religion, family, and popular groups. This compelling reader collects documents—texts, visuals, videos, and sounds—from organizational reports, popular expressions, and ephemeral creations to express these concerns, reveal responses, and measure successes. They allow readers to consider and discuss how these documents enabled Mexicans to evaluate their history and culture from 1810 to the present. Offering a wide variety of materials that can be tailored to the needs of individual instructors, these rich sources will stimulate critical thinking and give students new insights and often surprising respect and understanding for the ways Mexicans have managed to find humor, even magic, in their lives.

Introduction
Chapter 1: Independence, 1810–1820
Chapter 2: The Early Republic, 1820–1848
Chapter 3: The Liberal Era 1848–1862
Chapter 4: The French Intervention, 1862–1876
Chapter 5: The Porfirian Years, 1876–1911
Chapter 6: The Revolution
Chapter 7: The Revolution as Lived Experience, 1920–1936
Chapter 8: The Apogee of the Revolution, 1934–1940
Chapter 9: The Second World War, 1940–1945
Chapter 10: The Miracle, 1945–1982
Chapter 11: The Lost Decades, 1982–2010
Chapter 12: Contemporary Issues, 2010–
Appendix: Readings for Armchair Historians

A remarkably innovative collection of documents that will appeal to all types of learning styles. Incorporating written, oral, and visual documents with clear guidance on promoting a multilayered interpretation, Beezley and Rankin introduce students to a cultural approach to major themes and periods in Mexican history since independence. By turns whimsical and weighty, the documents—covering topics from Allende to the Zapatistas—offer readers engaging insight into Mexican responses to over two hundred years of adversity and opportunity.