Synopses & Reviews
After Mexicoandrsquo;s revolution of 1910andndash;1920, intellectuals sought to forge a unified cultural nation out of the countryandrsquo;s diverse populace. Their efforts resulted in an andldquo;ethnicizedandrdquo; interpretation of Mexicanness that intentionally incorporated elements of folk and indigenous culture. In this rich history, Rick A. Landoacute;pez explains how thinkers and artists, including the anthropologist Manuel Gamio, the composer Carlos Chandaacute;vez, the educator Moisandeacute;s Sandaacute;enz, the painter Diego Rivera, and many less-known figures, formulated and promoted a notion of nationhood in which previously denigrated vernacular artsandmdash;dance, music, and handicrafts such as textiles, basketry, ceramics, wooden toys, and ritual masksandmdash;came to be seen as symbolic of Mexicoandrsquo;s modernity and national distinctiveness. Landoacute;pez examines how the nationalist project intersected with transnational intellectual and artistic currents, as well as how it was adapted in rural communities. He provides an in-depth account of artisanal practices in the village of Olinalandaacute;, located in the mountainous southern state of Guerrero. Since the 1920s, Olinalandaacute; has been renowned for its lacquered boxes and gourds, which have been considered to be among the andldquo;most Mexicanandrdquo; of the nationandrsquo;s arts. Crafting Mexico illuminates the role of cultural politics and visual production in Mexicoandrsquo;s transformation from a regionally and culturally fragmented country into a modern nation-state with an inclusive and compelling national identity.
Review
andldquo;In recent decades, historians of twentieth-century Mexico have reshaped the way we understand state and nation formationandmdash;particularly popular constructions of the nationalandmdash;and the role that foreign actors have played in brokering Mexicoandrsquo;s distinctive, transnational process of becoming modern. Crafting Mexico represents a culminating moment in these inquiries. Better than any study I know, it wrestles with the complex process whereby Mexico transformed itself from a fragmented society, driven by regional loyalties, linguistic and cultural particularism, and caudillo politics, into one of the hemisphereandrsquo;s most unified nations. Part of the answer, Rick A. Landoacute;pez argues masterfully, lies in a surprisingly contingent aesthetic and political process that embraced foreign and local actors, cosmopolitan intellectuals and indigenous crafts producers, and a panoply of state and private initiatives. Deftly integrating analytical and spatial dimensions, and bridging temporal boundaries, Crafting Mexico is a substantial achievement.andrdquo;andmdash;Gilbert M. Joseph, co-editor of Fragments of a Golden
Review
andldquo;
Crafting Mexico is an important and original contribution to the literature on
visual arts in national ideologies. The detailed history, sophisticated analyses, intriguing case studies, and wonderful black and white and color photographs make this book essential to the library of anyone interested in Mexican popular art. andldquo;
Review
andldquo;Crafting Mandeacute;xico is a major contribution to the growing literature on nation, revolution, and indigenismo in postrevolutionary Mexico. . . . This fascinating and richly illustrated book is a fitting testimony to over a decade of exhaustive research and careful writing. It will surely serve as a model for future work.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;
Crafting Mexico is an impressive work of cultural and intellectual history
that is unique in analyzing the intersection of grassroots practices with
intellectual currents. It should gain an audience among scholars of state
formation beyond Mexico or Latin America.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Rick A. Landoacute;pez tells the fascinating story of how folk art produced by anonymous potters, weavers, and wood carvers became a andlsquo;proud symbol of Mexicoandrsquo;s authentic national identityandrsquo; (p. 2). His excellent monograph advances our understanding of Mexicoandrsquo;s cultural revolutionandmdash;the state policies, artistic movements, and commercial developments that transformed a regionally fragmented postwar society into a uniand#64257;ed nationstate with an ethnically inclusive national identity.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Crafting Mexico reminds us that quality scholarship does not resort to sweeping generalizations but rather assesses what is often a complex situation case by case. It is an impressive interdisciplinary study that adds much to our appreciation of modern Mexican culture and society.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Crafting Mexico covers much new territory. Its linkage of local, national, and transnational history is exemplary.andrdquo;andmdash;Mary Kay Vaughan, co-editor of The Eagle and the Virgin: Nation and Cultural Revolution in Mexico, 1920andndash;1940
Synopsis
After Mexico s revolution of 1910 1920, intellectuals sought to forge a unified cultural nation out of the country s diverse populace. Their efforts resulted in an ethnicized interpretation of Mexicanness that intentionally incorporated elements of folk and indigenous culture. In this rich history, Rick A. Lopez explains how thinkers and artists, including the anthropologist Manuel Gamio, the composer Carlos Chavez, the educator Moises Saenz, the painter Diego Rivera, and many less-known figures, formulated and promoted a notion of nationhood in which previously denigrated vernacular arts dance, music, and handicrafts such as textiles, basketry, ceramics, wooden toys, and ritual masks came to be seen as symbolic of Mexico s modernity and national distinctiveness. Lopez examines how the nationalist project intersected with transnational intellectual and artistic currents, as well as how it was adapted in rural communities. He provides an in-depth account of artisanal practices in the village of Olinala, located in the mountainous southern state of Guerrero. Since the 1920s, Olinala has been renowned for its lacquered boxes and gourds, which have been considered to be among the most Mexican of the nation s arts. Crafting Mexico illuminates the role of cultural politics and visual production in Mexico s transformation from a regionally and culturally fragmented country into a modern nation-state with an inclusive and compelling national identity."
Synopsis
Addresses how a Mexican national identity came to be constructed after the Revolution of 1910 and how that identity became "ethnicized" as Indian, in part through the elevation of indigenous handicrafts as icons of Mexicanness.
Synopsis
Examines the role of the vernacular arts in Mexico s transformation from a regionally and culturally fragmented country into a modern nation-state with an inclusive and compelling national identity.
About the Author
Rick A. Landoacute;pez is Associate Professor of History at Amherst College.