José Vasconcelos

José Vasconcelos Calderón ( born February 27, 1882 in Oaxaca, † June 30, 1959 in Mexico City) was a Mexican politician, writer and philosopher. Along with Alfonso Reyes and Antonio Caso he is considered one of the most important intellectuals of modern Mexico. In his writings, he developed the idea of a Latin American nationalism and an independent Mexican national identity on the basis of Mestizaje, the mix of European and indigenous elements. Above all, through his theory of cosmic race ( Raza Cósmica ) he achieved worldwide fame. He is one of the impulse giver of Muralismo.

Life

José Vasconcelos was born on February 27, 1882 in Oaxaca, the son of a wealthy family. He went to the United States and in northern Mexico to school and studied law in Mexico City.

In 1907 he began his work as a lawyer. Against the backdrop of increasing political unrest in Mexico, he supported the revolutionary Francisco Madero candidate, or the campaign against the re-election of the dictator Porfirio Díaz and found himself after the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution in 1910 on the side of the revolutionaries. After the temporary victory of General Victoriano Huerta in 1913, he fled into exile in the United States. In 1919 he returned to Mexico and took over briefly the management of the University of the areas controlled by the rebel army of Pancho Villa State of Sonora. After the defeat of the army of Pancho Villa by Álvaro Obregón in 1919, he joined this. In the new government under President Adolfo de la Huerta, he became a rector of the Universidad Nacional de México and in 1920 Minister of Education.

With generous funding from the government de la Huertas Vasconcelos launched an unprecedented in Mexican history educational and cultural offensive. He reformed the school system was built mainly in rural schools and libraries and initiated programs for literacy of the population that existed in 1920 to 72 percent illiterate. Under Vasconcelos was an intellectual foundation, and political independence of the National University; walk on it, the University coat of arms with the map of Latin America and the University motto "Por mi raza hablará el espíritu " ( The Spirit will speak for my race ) back. Vasconcelos also founded the National Library. He also promoted the Fine Arts and was monumental mural with national issues in order. Through these funds, the School of the Mexican muralists to Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Orozco and Carlos Mérida could form.

After the assassination of Obregón in 1928, Vasconcelos ran as a presidential candidate. In the elections of 1930, he was regarded as the most promising candidate, but lost after massive election fraud. After the election defeat, he fled into exile in the United States and began to work his autobiography. This multi- volume work is considered the best representation of the revolution and as a stylistic masterpiece of Spanish.

Upon his return to Mexico in 1940 took over José Vasconcelos different offices at the National University. Like other Mexican intellectuals of his time, he expressed sympathies for the German fascism and colonialism.

José Vasconcelos died in 1959 in Mexico City.

Work

La Raza Cósmica

Among the most important part of La raza Cósmica writings Vasconcelos (1925 ). Here he postulated the emergence of a single world race by mixing the existing races. He distinguishes four original human races: People with white, black, yellow and red skin. These breeds mix gradually and form a single ethnic group: the cosmic race.

The similarities of the cosmic race shall extend not only biological, but also on cultural characteristics. Vasconcelos sees Latin American mestizos and Mexicans in particular as a representative of the world race. It assumes that the new ethnicity of mestizos is held together mainly by the Christian orientation.

Publications

Philosophical and historical works

• La intelectualidad mexicana (1916 )
• El monismo estético (1919)
• La raza Cósmica (1925 )
• Indología (1926 )
• Pesimismo alegre (1931 )
• Estética (1936 )
• Ética (1939 )
• Historia del pensamiento Filosofico (1937 )
• Lógica orgánica (1945 )

Autobiography

• Ulises Criollo (1935 )
• La tormenta (1936 )
• El desastre (1938 )
• El proconsulado (1939 )
• El ocaso de mi vida (1957 )

Swell

• Anna, Timothy, et al: Historia de Mexico. Cambridge University Press, Barcelona 2001.
• Bromine, Juan de la Historia de México Esbozo. Grijalbo, Mexico City 1980.