Technology and Culture in Twentieth-Century Mexico

Technology and Culture in Twentieth-Century Mexico offers a novel approach to Mexican studies by considering the complex relationship between technology, politics, society, and culture. While it is widely accepted by scholars that substantial changes in technology occurred in Mexico during the last century, very little has been written on these issues, perhaps because of a propensity to associate Mexico with tradition and folklore rather than technology, progress, and modernity. This diverse collection of chapterswritten by historians, literary scholars, social scientists, and cultural criticstells this long-neglected story of technological change. Contributors examine themes ranging from the introduction of new forms of travel (automobiles, buses, trains, and subways) to innovations in media (radio, film, and the Internet) to the relationships between technology, literature, art, and architecture. Covering the twentieth century and beyond, Technology and Culture in Twentieth-Century Mexico, edited by Araceli Tinajero and J. Brian Freeman, illustrates the invention, use, and adaptation of technology, as well as the diverse ways that technology itself is both shaped by and shapes culture. This interdisciplinary book points to new directions in the study of Mexico and makes an important contribution to Latin American Studies and the history of technology. Contributors: Claudia Agostoni / Sandra Aguilar-Rodrguez / Edward R. Burian /Antoni Castells-Talens / J. Brian Freeman / Celeste Gonzlez de Bustamante / Guillermo Guajardo / Joanne Hershfield / Anna Indych-Lpez /Lynda Klich / Viviane Mahieux / Carlos Monsivis / John Mraz /Ricardo Prez Montfort / Jos Manuel Ramos Rodrguez /Paolo Riguzzi / Erja Vettenranta / Juan Villoro / David M. J. Wood /Naief Yehya