Assistant Professor of History Michael Matthews has published an article that examines representations of the railroad in art, poetry and literature printed in publications targeting middle- and upper-class audiences during the government of Mexican President Porfirio Diaz.
“De Viaje: Elite Views of Modernity and the Porfirian Railway Boom,” which appears in the current edition of the University of California Press’ journal Mexican Studies/Estudios Mexicanos, uses these sources to investigate how elite groups viewed the process of change spurred by the rapid modernization that defined the Porfiriato.
The article argues that the elite used this literature and art to define themselves as modern citizens and diffuse ideas about the benefits of progress, the success of the regime and the ways civilized individuals should behave. It also shows that these groups shared anxieties about the social and cultural changes spurred by modernization.
To read the full article, visit the Journal’s website by clicking the link to the right.