Mexico, Interrupted: Labor, Idleness, and the Economic Imaginary of Independence

Mexican independence was an economic event that created a common ground with non-elites in their demands against foreign domination. It was also an economic event in that it was imagined by the lettered men of Mexico as a feat that nationalized a rich and productive economic apparatus. Mexico, Interrupted investigates the fate of these economic hopes during the difficult decades between the country's separation from Spain and the defeat of the French occupation and the restoration of the Republic. It reconstructs the periods "economic imaginaries of independence" by focusing on work and its opposites in the period between.

Format: Hardback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 30 June 2023
Publisher: Vanderbilt University Press

Mexican independence was a multifaceted and profound event that went beyond mere political and military considerations. It was, in a sense, an economic event, as elites successfully forged a common ground with non-elites in their demands against foreign domination. This economic dimension was evident in the way that independence was envisioned by the educated men of Mexico throughout the 19th century as a feat that could nationalize and harness the rich and productive economic apparatus of the country.

Mexico, Interrupted delves into the intricate and often tumultuous history of Mexico during the crucial period between its definitive separation from Spain and the eventual defeat of the French occupation and the restoration of the Republic. This book explores the profound obsession of the Mexican intelligentsia with the labor and idleness of the citizenry, as they sought to create a prosperous and independent nation. By examining the writings of politicians, journalists, intellectuals, industrialists, and novelists, Mexico, Interrupted reconstructs the economic imaginaries of independence, the repertoire of political and cultural discourses that shaped the understandings, beliefs, and fantasies about the relationship between the economy and the life of an independent polity.

In this project, intellectual history, critical theory, and cultural studies are brought together to offer a fresh and nuanced account of the Mexican 19th century. By examining the economic dimensions of independence, Mexico, Interrupted complicates existing histories of the spread of the "spirit of capitalism" throughout the Americas. It sheds light on the complex interplay between economic development, political power, and cultural values, and provides a deeper understanding of the factors that shaped Mexico's unique historical trajectory.

Overall, Mexico, Interrupted is a groundbreaking work that offers valuable insights into the complex and multifaceted history of Mexico during a pivotal period in its development. It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the economic, political, and cultural forces that have shaped Mexico's past and present.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780826505545