Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Alfred University/Modern Mexico (Spring 2024)

Porfirio Diaz reportedly lamented, “Mexico, so far from God, so close to the United States.” Yet, even with the behemoth to the north, Mexico and Mexicans have shown themselves quite capable of dictating their own history. In this course, we will be covering Mexican history from independence (1821) to the present. We will move roughly chronologically, stretching from the problems with how to govern an independent nation, to the Mexican Revolution, to questions faced in the present. As such, we are approaching the class in two halves. The first half of the class will grapple with the making of a nation, as Mexicans transformed themselves from colonial subjects into independent citizens, and the contradictions of building a modern republic upon enduring colonial structures, hierarchies, and ideologies. The second half of the class will explore the Mexican Revolution and its aftermath in the twentieth century as we engage with the ongoing historical question of just how revolutionary was the Mexican Revolution. Students will read a selection of primary and secondary sources to both work through the “problems” and themes of Mexican history, but also to interrogating the ways in which scholars are reassessing such questions as: “how did indigenous peoples shape independent Mexico?;” “how revolutionary was revolutionary Mexico?;” and, “what was the nature of the post-revolutionary state?” Ultimately, students will contribute to a Wikipedia page of their choice regarding Mexican history in order to improve writing abilities for a public audience and to contribute to publicly available knowledge.