Sociology and Space, No. 13-14, 1966.
Review article
Peasant Village in Mexico - a study of character
Michael Maccoby
Abstract
The author of this article starts with stating that social scientists have
observed that peasants from all over the world seem more like each other in many
ways than like their urban compatriots. This is manifested in Mexico by the fact
that when townsman enters the peasant village he feels himself a stranger. The
townsman, generally speaking, looks at the peasant either as a symbol of the worst
or the best in human nature, depending on his feelings about the modern world.
It means that the peasant remains unknown. To understand him, we must grasp
his view of life, his goals, his problems as he feels them, and the factors which
set him at odds with the developing world. In this sense the author undertakes
an analysis of character in one of Mexico villages, which before the Revolution
of 1910. had lived in the frame od hacienda, according to economic characteristics
capitalistic but to social relations feudal plantation.
In the village traits can be found common to peasants everywhere, but also
aspects of character that bear the stamp of Mexican history and traditions. In fact
the analysis is based on the investigation of a group whose leader was Erich
Fromm.
In the village there are many economical and social problems, social differentiation
and differentiation of character. There are also many signs of change,
but a lot of influences of hacienda system on the character of peasants have
remained. Passive characters are prevailing who sometimes express the total
fatalims. People are distrustfull and do not accept innovations willingly. There is
a need to seek a patron like former hacendado. The author thinks that all this
is a consequence of the near history when hacienda had dominated, and the factors
which nowdays in the nature and the society cause unsecurity and resignation of
peasants.
The author particularly analyses: the peasants view of love, the war between
sexes and authority and family, basing his analysis on lengthy interviews of
peasants and observations of investigators. Examples of peasants views of love
show that the large majority of villagers have a passive orientation, not an active.
In fact they reflect the feeling that all good things of life lie autside ol oneself,
beyond reach. The roots of domination of these receptive orientation lie in cultural
tradition, family life and social limitation of life experience, knowledge and
opportunities.
The superficial observer quickly concludes that Mexican men dominate their
women in family and in the society, too. But in the Mexican village, like everywhere,
the u^ar between the sexes rages, which assume many hidden forms and
contents. While in families with both mother and father, a subtle but continual
struggle for power rages, in the families of many alcoholics one finds a wife who
deeply enjoys the role of martyred victim, trying to turn the children away from
their father. Some men show traits of machismo, the cult of tough — acting, hard
drinking promiscuous men, whose background is their unindependence and
infatility. Women want to keep their husband, children and family.
The reason that the Mexican villager avoids accepting authority and responsibility
lies in the fact that parents demand from their children strict obedience.
Therefore in the games of children everything is subjected to the central authority,
similar to the authority of parents. The behaviour of parents is historically planted
by the long tradition of hacienda system and its residues. Child rearing in the
i
context of the whole cultural and social conditions in the village, had, for instance,
a consequence that adolescent boys of the village treated investigators, who tryed
to organize an agricultural club for them, as their patrons to whom they must
remain submissive, awaiting orders.
The author concludes that fatalism, distrust and hopelessness in this Mexican
village were born in the experience of the hacienda and reinforced by the scarcity
of land and living, common to peasants everywhere. At the same time he directs
attention to ways of possible changes.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
118535
URI
Publication date:
27.12.1966.
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