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Profile of Man and Culture in Mexico, originally written in 1934, is addressed to the author’s compatriots, but it speaks to people, wherever they are, who are interested in enriching their own lives and in elevating the cultural level of their countries. And it speaks with a peculiar timeliness to citizens of the United States who would understand their neighbors to the south. Samuel Ramos’s avowed purpose is to assist in the spiritual reform of Mexico by developing a theory that might explain the real character of Mexican culture. His approach is not flattering to his fellow citizens. After an analysis of the historical forces that have molded the national psychology, Ramos concludes that the Mexican sense of inferiority is the basis for most of the Mexican’s spiritual troubles and for the shortcomings of the Mexican culture. Ramos subscribes to neither of the two major opposing schools of thought as to what norms should direct the development of Mexican culture. He agrees neither with the nationalists, who urge a deliberate search for originality and isolation from universal culture, nor with the “Europeanizers,” who advocate abandonment of the life around them and a withdrawal into the modes of foreign cultures. Ramos thinks that Mexico’s hope lies in a respect for the good in native elements and a careful selection of those foreign elements that are appropriate to Mexican life. Such a sensible choice of foreign elements will result not in imitation, but in assimilation. Combined with the nurturing of desirable native elements, it will result in an independent cultural unit, “a new branch grafted onto world culture.” Ramos finds in Mexico no lack of intelligence or vitality: “It needs only to learn.” And he believes that the future is Mexico’s, that favorable destinies await a Mexico striving for the elevation of humanity, for the betterment of life, for the development of all the national capacities.
Profile of Man and Culture in Mexico, originally written in 1934, is addressed to the author’s compatriots, but it speaks to people, wherever they are, who are interested in enriching their own lives and in elevating the cultural level of their countries. And it speaks with a peculiar timeliness to citizens of the United States who would understand their neighbors to the south. Samuel Ramos’s avowed purpose is to assist in the spiritual reform of Mexico by developing a theory that might explain the real character of Mexican culture. His approach is not flattering to his fellow citizens. After an analysis of the historical forces that have molded the national psychology, Ramos concludes that the Mexican sense of inferiority is the basis for most of the Mexican’s spiritual troubles and for the shortcomings of the Mexican culture. Ramos subscribes to neither of the two major opposing schools of thought as to what norms should direct the development of Mexican culture. He agrees neither with the nationalists, who urge a deliberate search for originality and isolation from universal culture, nor with the “Europeanizers,” who advocate abandonment of the life around them and a withdrawal into the modes of foreign cultures. Ramos thinks that Mexico’s hope lies in a respect for the good in native elements and a careful selection of those foreign elements that are appropriate to Mexican life. Such a sensible choice of foreign elements will result not in imitation, but in assimilation. Combined with the nurturing of desirable native elements, it will result in an independent cultural unit, “a new branch grafted onto world culture.” Ramos finds in Mexico no lack of intelligence or vitality: “It needs only to learn.” And he believes that the future is Mexico’s, that favorable destinies await a Mexico striving for the elevation of humanity, for the betterment of life, for the development of all the national capacities.
With the publication of Profile of Man and Culture in Mexico (1934) Samuel Ramos launched the modern search for Mexican national identity, shifting examination of that country’s problems from a physical to a psychological plane. But Ramos’ work crystallized a long inquiry into the meaning of Mexican civilization, discernible from the 1920s on. From 1900 to 1934 Mexicans made the difficult transition from a culture largely foreign in spirit to one created in the aftermath of the 1910 Revolution, insistently and proudly Mexican. In the decades following the revolution the term lo mexicano (meaning both the Mexican ethos and its study) became a sacred phrase in the reappraisal of Mexican civilization, a concept analogous in the history of ideas to the quest for Mexican authenticity in painting, music, the novel, and education. Schmidt examines the origins and development of lo mexicano in the work of Ramos’ intellectual antecedents, particularly that of Justo Sierra, Antonio Caso, José Vasconcelos, Alfonso Reyes, and Daniel Cosío Villegas. Schmidt shows why and how Mexican intellectuals went about the task of defining national character during this period. His analysis establishes a context for viewing Ramos’ admittedly seminal work, shows the growth of Mexican self-awareness as the intellectual foundation of nationalism, and extends our understanding of the central driving force within the complexities of Mexican society today.
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Reveals the long, tumultuous history of Mexico in a narrative account of its historical changes, art, politics, religion, and people.
Emilio Uranga, a founding member of the famed el grupo Hiperión, devoted his life to characterizing the nuances and uniqueness of Mexican existence. His landmark book, Análisis del ser del mexicano became an instant classic. This is the first English translation of the work, which, accompanied by a comprehensive introduction, features: · Key moments in the development of 20th century Mexican philosophy up to the writing of Uranga's text · A detailed overview of the translated text and its most significant movements · Discussion of Uranga's relevance to contemporary debates in the phenomenology of culture, decolonial philosophy, phenomenology, and Latin American philosophy itself · Considerations of Uranga's “ontology,” and how he justified his project by appealing to 20th-century Mexican poetry and existential phenomenology Reading Uranga's brilliant words expertly translated and introduced by Carlos Alberto Sánchez finally allows us to understand why this Mexican philosopher is considered one of the most fearless and original thinkers of the 20th century.