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jerezano

Sep 1, 2011, 10:44 AM

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Mexico: Mañana Forever?: Mexico and the Mexicans / Spanish edition is : México: ¿Mañana o Pasado; Jo

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Hello all,

Jorge Casteñada is a political scientist of world-wide renown. He has had a very distinguished career in Both political and intellectual fields, and has written a biography of Che Guerrera which is recognized as one of the most definitive yet published.

His new book dissects the Mexican psyche in a manner which explains many of my observations during the 23 years I have lived in Mexico. Yet I have discussed chapters 2 through 5 with a well-educated (college graduate in Literature) friend who completely disagrees with the analyses presented in Chapters 2, and 4. Why? Because he, without realizing it, has ingrained in his education and training the very characteristics presented in chapters 2 and 4 which he negates as being characteristic of the average Mexican. I have observed them so many times that I find it hard to believe that he can argue so dispassionately but with firmenss that Sr. Casteñeda is wrong.

I have yet to read chapter 9, the final chapter, but the thrust of the book seems to be that an expanding middle class and more education, but of the right type, will guide Mexico toward being a developed nation. But the book is pessimistic. Those changes will take time (possibly 2 generations) and the present world will not wait for those changes. Mexico needs some bold changes in education of history, in the field of law, and several other things but the book concludes that it is impossible given the psyche of the average Mexican of today.

This book is recommended highly for us expatriates to read. Cost of the Spanish edition is $250 pesos. The English edition from Amazon was $18.26 usd plus $4.95 shipping and handling.

As ever, jerezano

richmx2

Sep 1, 2011, 7:56 PM

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Re: [jerezano] Mexico: Mañana Forever?: Mexico and the Mexicans / Spanish edition is : México: ¿Maña

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I'm not sure Castañeda is regarded nearly as highly as you (and he) seem to. Educated not in Mexico, but in the United States (his English has a strong "Noo Yawk" accent), he claims to be from the Mexican "leftist" tradition, though that is doubted by many. Although a Communist as a young man (his mother was a Soviet diplomat at the U.N.) and suspected of having been a spy for Cuban intelligence, his "conversion" colors his Ché biography and has called the work's objectivity into question (not that there is, or probably ever will be a "neutral" Ché biography). Castañeda's anti-Cuban activities during his tenure as Fox's foreign minister was a huge break in Mexico's tradition non-aligned foreign policy, and was seen as an attempt to realign Mexican policy with that of the United States. Which got him bounced out of the Cabinet and back to New York academia.

Like with other ex-Communists, one sometimes gets the sense that he's trying too hard to sell his own conversion to the adopted faith. On the right, he's about as trusted as ex-Communists usually are. On the left, he's considered a sell-out.

He may or may not be correct in his assessments of Mexican politics and culture, but I don't see a country where political and cultural arguments have always rested on historical analogies adopting the U.S. style of political discourse, with its distinct disdain for the past (as Barack Obama put it in dismissing the criminal invasion of Iraq, "We prefer to look forward"). That Mexicans SHOULD be more like the U.S. (as Castañeda has been arguing for some time now) is comforting to the U.S. "think tank" crowd, but just doesn't go over here. When he tried to run for President, one perceptive (and witty) commentator said his power base was limited to Mexicans who only read about their country in the New York Times.

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