Amy Weitzman – Page 2 – Global Political Theory

Ricardo Flores Magón

Published April 30, 2022 by Amy Weitzman

Ricardo Flores MAGÓN (1874–1922) was an indigenous Mexican anarchocommunist whose activism helped lead to the Mexican Revolution. He was born during the military dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz, the porfiriato, which greatly shaped his career. He and his two brothers founded Regeneración, a newspaper meant to unveil the injustices under the porfiriato. Magón independently authored countless articles and stories about anarchism as a solution to the ills of capitalism.

Magón’s writing often used fiction to illustrate anti-capitalist uprisings and ended with vehement calls to action. Not only did he support an uprising, but he more generally supported workers’ rights, elimination of private property, and anti-clericalism. He questioned the need for government entirely; however, he described his radically anarchocommunist works as liberal to gain wider approval. Magón’s popularity prompted the formation of a radical political party to oust the porfiriato—the Mexican Liberal Party (PLM). The PLM initiated several uprisings. Although Díaz was ousted and replaced with a liberal, Magón still expressed doubts. He believed that only the workers themselves could obtain workers’ rights.

FURTHER READING

“A world without borders” in New York, 2006

Magón Flores Ricardo, Chaz Bufe, and Mitchell Cowen Verter. Dreams of Freedom: A Ricardo Flores Magón Reader. Oakland, CA: AK Press, 2005.

Magon, Ricardo Flores. “Government?” The Anarchist Library, August 4, 2020. https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/ricardo-flores-magon-government.

Magon, Ricardo Flores. “Land and Liberty.” The Anarchist Library, June 14, 2018. https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/anarchist-communist-group-land-and-liberty.

Archivomagon.net. “Archivo Digital de Ricardo Flores Magón | Archivo Digital Del Trabajo Histórico de Ricardo Flores Magón,” 2021. http://archivomagon.net/.

Indigenismo

Published April 30, 2022 by Amy Weitzman

Indigenismo (approx. 1930–1970) was a political and literary movement throughout Latin America, but particularly significant in Brazil, Mexico, and Peru. Indigenismo advocated for the preservation of indigenous rights and culture. Significantly, many thinkers associate it with socialism due to the poor economic conditions of indigenous communities. The movement critiqued the political systems and cultural deterioration that separate indigenous peoples from the nation-state as a whole.

The Mexican Revolution was one example of an event that lent itself to Indigenismo. A regime change meant an opportunity for reform, leading activists to call for indigenous inclusion. For example, Ricardo Flores Magón was a popular journalist and contributor to the political movement in Mexico. Meanwhile, in Peru, the movement built momentum due to rising modernization at the cost of indigenous livelihoods. José María Arguedas was a novelist and contributor to the literary movement in Peru. Both Magón and Arguedas wrote extensively in support of property rights for indigenous communities. It is still relevant to Latin America as indigenous communities continue to advocate for themselves.

FURTHER READING

Marentes, Luis A. “Latino Indigenismo in a Comparative Perspective.” Oxford Bibliographies Online Datasets, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199913701-0040.

Rodriguez-Peralta, Phyllis. “Ciro Alegria: Culmination of Indigenist-Regionalism in Peru.” Journal of Spanish Studies: Twentieth Century 7, no. 3 (1979): 337–52. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27740901.

Tarica, Estelle. “Indigenismo.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Latin American History, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199366439.013.68.

José María Arguedas

Published April 29, 2022 by Amy Weitzman

José María ARGUEDAS (1911–1969) was a Peruvian novelist from a Quechua family. During his time at Peru’s National Agrarian University, he wrote many novels in defense of indigenous Andean culture. He was a significant participant in the Indigenismo movement who also identified as socialist. His novels represent indigenous culture challenged by modernization and capitalism.

Arguedas frequently uses language to express how modernization distorts culture. He includes blends of Spanish, English, Quechua, Aymara, and profane vernacular. His use of language communicates not only the diversity of Peru, but also the degradation of native tongues and appropriation of Western language. His central themes of indigeneity in the face of both modernization and capitalism are found in his final novel, a work of magical realism, The Fox From Up Above and the Fox From Down Below. It features fictional characters whose interactions symbolize industrialization and the resilience of indigenous culture despite a defiled physical environment.

FURTHER READING

Arguedas José María, Julio Ortega, Christian Fernandez, and Frances Horning Barraclough. The Fox From Up Above and the Fox From Down Below. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2000.

Arguedas José María, and Frances Horning Barraclough. Deep Rivers. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, 2007.

Sandoval, Ciro A., and Sandra M. Boschetto-Sandoval. José María Arguedas: Reconsiderations for Latin American Cultural Studies. Athens, OH: Ohio University Center for International Studies, 1998.

Author: Amy Weitzman

Ricardo Flores Magón

Indigenismo

José María Arguedas