Maya or mestizo? : nationalism, modernity, and its discontents / Ronald Loewe
- Author
- Loewe, Ronald
- Published
- Toronto : University of Toronto Press, [2010]
- Copyright Date
- ©2010
- Physical Description
- xxii, 202 pages : illustrations, map ; 23 cm.
- Series
- Language Note
- Some text in Spanish with English translations.
- Contents
- Nationalism, mestizaje, and anthropology -- Organizing the polity : structures of coercion and control -- A town in Yucatán : Maxcanú in historical and economic perspective -- The Gremio system : the social organization of religious life -- Making Maya into mestizo : identity, difference, and cultura regional mestiza -- Critical perspectives from below -- Yucatán's dancing pig's head (cuch) : parody as a weapon -- The journey of way kot : myth as cultural critique -- Caught in the spirit : possession, prophecy, and resistance -- Linkages in the global economy -- Appendix. The tale of Way kot : four versions.
- Summary
- This multifaceted and beautifully written ethnography of Maxcanu, a small Maya town in the Yucatan region of Mexico, offers both an historical and a contemporary understanding of the way external pressures to modernize are often met with forms of resistance that are rooted in rituals and oral tradition. The Maya of the Yucatan have long been drawn into the Mexican state's attempt to create modern Mexican citizens (mestizos). They have also been drawn into the North American and global economy through agriculture and, more recently, tourism and US-based evangelical organizations. Despite the many pressures to turn Mayas into mestizos, the citizens of Maxcanu use subtle forms of resistance, including humour, satire, and language, to maintain aspects of their traditional identity. Maya or Mestizo? skilfully weaves the history of Mexico into a compelling tale of a community caught between tradition and modernity.
- Subject(s)
- ISBN
- 9781442601413 (bound)
1442601418 (bound)
9781442601420 (pbk.)
1442601426 (pbk.) - Bibliography Note
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Other Forms
- Issued also in electronic format.
- Biographical or Historical Sketch
- Ronald Loewe is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at California State University, Long Beach.
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