February 1st, 2024 (4:30pm – 6:00pm Boston | 22:30 Madrid) | In Person & Via Zoom
RSVP: https://bit.ly/RSVPObservatorio or info-observatory@fas.harvard.edu
Why do national myths arise and how can historians change them? In this panel, based on the myth of the lazy Spaniard with little desire to work, and that of the Mexican nation that naturally wanted its independence, there will be a discussion on the role of politicians and intellectuals in the construction of these narratives, the function they have, as well as the possibility of freeing ourselves from them. Historians Ruth MacKay and Tomás Pérez Vejo will start the discussion by respectively addressing the topics “Ocio, desarrollo económico y la patria: cómo la leyenda de la pereza española se convirtió en una verdad incuestionable” and “Las historias nacionales como mito de origen: el caso de México”. These presentations will be followed by a conversation between the two experts, moderated by Professor Tamar Herzog (Harvard University), and a final colloquium with the attendees.
Ruth MacKay is a historian of early modern Spain, specializing in social, political, and legal matters. Her most recent book is Life in a Time of Pestilence (Cambridge 2019). She has worked as a university lecturer, newspaper editor, writer, translator, and interpreter. She is currently a freelance researcher and lives in San Francisco.
Tomás Pérez Vejo is a professor-researcher at the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia de México and co-director of the Cátedra México-España at El Colegio de México. He is a specialist in the process of nation-building in the Spanish-speaking world. Among his most recent publications, we can highlight La conquista de la identidad. México y España, 1521-1910 (2021) and México, la nación doliente. Imágenes profanas para una historia sagrada (2024).
Tamar Herzog is Monroe Gutman Professor of Latin American Affairs at Harvard University as well as an affiliated faculty member at the Harvard Law School. She is the author of seven books, four edited volumes, and over 150 articles and book chapters in multiple languages. Her most recent book is The Cambridge History of Latin American Law in Global Perspective (2024).
Language: Spanish