Reflection-Week #6

I really enjoyed the discussion on Thursday. It’s nice to be moving out of the technicalities of learning about IR theory and actually applying it. Enloe’s article seemed to be the perfect way to begin looking deeper in to the field of world politics. For me, her focus on the marginalized was a deeper look into the problems of Latin America.

One thing that was mentioned in our discussion that I found interesting was the mentioning of Mexicans being the most marginalized people in the world. At the time it just didn’t sound right and I must disagree. While I do agree that the culture of Mexico continues to endure a strict hierarchy, which prevents the rise of the poor to the top of the wealth distribution period, many other countries around the world (including many Latin American countries) are significantly more marginalized than Mexico. Looking at marginalization strictly from an economic standpoint 90% of Latin American countries are below Mexico in a GDP per capita rating by the IMF. The only country that stands above Mexico is Argentina. The country that rounds out the list as the poorest in Latin America is Nicaragua. Currently, Mexico’s GDP per capita stands at $13,628. This is well above the world average of $10,355. Nicaragua’s GDP per capita in 2009 was $2,627. Now, there are no official statistics on the marginalization of a people, however, one of the most significant factors in the quality of life can be measured in the GDP. If Mexico has one of the largest GDP’s in Latin America, how can one claim for its people to be the most marginalized. Yes, I do agree that the plight of the Mexican people is significant. In addition to an economic standpoint, the cultural separation must be acknowledged. Since the time of the conquistadors a strict caste system has existed in Latin America. Those white Spaniards who immigrated to Central and South America became the top of the pyramid while the darker natives became the bottom. The mulattos filled out the very small middle class. Granted, the strict nature of this system has become more relaxed in many countries, the historical impact still divides the way Latin America operates. Therefore, I feel that it is a bit centric on an American point of view to consider our closest neighbors to be the only sufferers of marginalization.