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Thèse : Latinizing America : the French scientific study of Mexico, 1830-1930

Créateur

  • Edison, Paul N. (1962-….)

Résumé

This dissertation examines the French science of “Americanism,” the forerunner of Latin American studies. It is a cultural history of science in France, and in a more general sense of French ideas about Latin America. In particular it analyzes the scientific study of indigenous Mexico in both the domestic context of French society and the overseas one of French commercial and political ambitions in Mexico. In a more limited fashion, it explores the influence of French science in Mexico, and suggests ways in which that science influenced Mexican society and political culture. Finally, it relates both of these transcultural processes—the French study of Mexico and French culture in Mexico—to a broader cultural reordering of the Americas in the modern world.

Like Orientalism, Americanism was a body of knowledge that systematically produced its subject matter as part of a pattern of domination. This science was often conceived of and practiced as a cultural conquest and a civilizing mission, a sophisticated, modern and French version of the exploits of Columbus and Cortez. The Commission scientifique du Mexique, created in 1864 to accompany French troops, was the most ambitious attempt to conquer and uplift Mexico through science. However, even as it constituted a kind of colonial culture, Americanism was a complex science with different sorts of practitioners and tendencies. It was shaped by distinct models of scholarship, and by domestic French politics and culture. It was also highly conscious of the great prestige that French culture had among Latin America‘s upper classes.

This dissertation also examines the discourse of Latinity, which intersected and shaped Americanism at several points. The term “Latin America” itself was invented in the 1850s by Americanist scholars. Latinity shaped the Americanists’ scholarly agenda, and towards World War One the French state embarked on a policy of cultural expansion to shore up French influence in Latin America. The foundations of modern Latin American studies in France were laid in an atmosphere of nostalgia and reaction as French power and prestige seemed imperiled.

Informations pratiques

  • Date de soutenance : 1999.
  • Description matérielle : 1 vol. (III, 522 p).
  • Bibliogr. p. 478-522.
  • Thesis (Ph. D.) : History : New York : Columbia University : 1999.
Olivier Jacquot
Olivier Jacquot
Chargé de collections : manuscrits des fonds américains, Service des manuscrits du monde (SMO), département des Manuscrits (MSS), Bibliothèque nationale… Lire la suite

OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
Olivier Jacquot (26 janvier 2026). Thèse : Latinizing America : the French scientific study of Mexico, 1830-1930. Amoxcalli. Consulté le 10 juin 2026 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/15k2u


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