Description
Book SynopsisThis book examines the American cultural encounter with Porfirian Mexico in order to understand the U.S.encounter with the world. American ignorance of other nations is not merely a barrier to understanding, but a strategy Americans have chosen to maintain their illusion of U.S. international leadership.
Trade ReviewJayes, 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. * CHOICE *
The Illusion of Ignorance is an original and well-written book that utilizes a wide variety of travel accounts from the era. The author revels how stereotypical images if Mexico not only severed to de-legitimatize Mexico’s sovereignty, but also influenced how Americans saw the world. Thus, although the focus of the book is on the Porfiriatio and its aftermath, it sheds light on our present-day interaction with the world that is expressed in a combination of ‘interest and aversion’. * Southwestern Historical Quarterly *
Table of ContentsChapter 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
