Imperial Metropolis: Los Angeles, Mexico, and the Borderlands of American Empire, 1865-1941

In her book, "Gilded Age Los Angeles and the Making of the Mexican Revolution," Jessica M. Kim explores how Los Angeles rose from a small town to a global city against the backdrop of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, Gilded Age economics, and American empire. She argues that financial networks emerging from Los Angeles drove economic transformations in the borderlands, reshaped social relations, and deployed racial hierarchies to advance investment projects. However, the Mexican Revolution disrupted these networks, reconfiguring transnational systems of infrastructure and trade.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 01 August 2021
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press

In this captivating narrative of capitalist development and revolutionary response, Jessica M. Kim delves into the rise of Los Angeles from a small town to a global city, situated within the backdrop of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, the Gilded Age economics, and the American empire. This far-reaching transnational history unfolds, chronicling how Los Angeles boosters, driven by urban and imperial capitalism, transformed the borderlands at the end of the nineteenth century. Moreover, the Mexican Revolution reshaped these same capitalist networks into the twentieth century, altering the course of history.

Kim employs extensive archival research from both the United States and Mexico to make her argument. She demonstrates that the financial networks emerging from Los Angeles played a pivotal role in driving economic transformations across the borderlands, reshaping social relations and deploying racial hierarchies to advance investment projects. These networks not only impacted the region but also had a profound impact on the larger world, connecting Los Angeles to continental and global currents.

What emerges from Kim's work is a rich and intricate account of the real and imagined geographies of city, race, and empire. She sheds light on the complex interplay between urbanization, capitalism, and revolutionary movements, highlighting the ways in which they shaped each other and contributed to the formation of modern societies. Through her meticulous research and insightful analysis, Kim provides a groundbreaking perspective on the history of Los Angeles and its role in shaping the world.

This compelling narrative offers valuable insights into the complex dynamics of capitalism, imperialism, and revolutionary movements, and it will be of interest to scholars, researchers, and anyone with an interest in the history and geography of Los Angeles and the broader world.

Weight: 450g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781469666242