Once upon a time, Razano (razano@aol.com) asked in the USEnet group soc.culture.mexican.american if an English translation of La Raza Cósmica is available. I am aware of none. Because it seems that its author, the Mexican philosopher and educator José Vasconcelos (1881-1959), has influenced a lot of the Chicano movement (if you don't believe me, go see the MEChA page at http://www.hiline.net/~juancv/library.htm, where the slogan Vasconcelos created for the UNAM is prominently featured), I translated parts of the prologue written for the second edition (1948) and first chapter, where the thesis of the book is laid out.
The copy I have is from its fourth edition (1976) and published by Espasa-Calpe Mexicana, S.A., as volume 802 of its Collección Astral (no ISBN number). The translation is faithful to Vasconcelos writing style and I have not attempted to modernize the language.
It seems to me that the first edition stirred great furor since Vasconcelos felt obliged to write a prologue for the second edition, published less than two months after the first. In it, the central tenet of the book is concisely detailed:
The first paragraph reads:
| "Es tésis central del presente libro que las distintas razas del mundo tienden a mezclarse cada vez más, hasta formar un nuevo tipo humano, compuesto con la selección de cada uno de los pueblos existentes. Se publicó por primera vez tal presagio en la época en que prevalecía, en el mundo científico, la doctrina darwinista de la selección natural que salva a los aptos, condena a los débiles; doctrina que llevada al terreno social por Gobineau, dio origen a la teoría del ario puro, defendida por los ingleses, llevada a imposición aberrante por el nazismo." | "It is the central thesis of this book that the different races of the world tend to mix ever more, until forming a new human type, composed of the selection of each of the existent peoples. Such prediction was first published at the time that it prevailed, in the scientific world, the darwinian doctrine of natural selection that preserves the able and condemns the weak; doctrine that, when taken to the social arena by Gobineau, gave origin to the Pure Arian theory, defended by the English, taken to an aberrant imposition by Nazism." |
Then Vasconcelos writes about the increasing legitimacy of mestizaje since WWII had proven the Pure Arian theory as abhorrent. Furthermore, he argues, the increasing ease of travel allows such mixing to increase. Then goes on to say:
| "Las circumstancias actuales favorecen, en consequencia, el desarrollo de las relaciones sexuales interraciales, lo que presta apoyo inesperado a la tesis que, a falta de nombre mejor, titulé: de la Raza Cósmica futura." | "The present circumstances favor, in consequence, the development of interracial sexual relations, which provides an unexpected support to the thesis that, for lack of a better name, I entitled: of the future Cosmic Race." |
He then delves into whether mixed races are better than "pure" ones. Ends the prologue with the following paragraph:
| "En todo caso, la conclusión más optimista que se puede derivar de los hechos observados es que aun los mestizajes más contradictorios pueden resolverse benéficamente siempre que el factor espiritual contribuya a levantarlos. En efecto, la decadencia de los pueblos asiáticos es atributible a su aislamiento, pero también, y sin duda, en primer término, al hecho de que no han sido cristianizados. Una religión como la cristiana hizo avanzar a los indios americanos, en pocas centurias, desde el canibalismo hasta la relativa civilización." | "In any case, the most optimistic conclusion that one may derive from the observed facts is that even the most contradictory mix among the races can be resolved most benefically as long as the spiritual factor contributes to enhance them. In fact, the decadence of the Asian peoples is attributable to their isolation, but also mainly and without a doubt to the fact that they have not been Christianized. A religion like Christianity advanced the American indians, in a few centuries, from cannibalism to a relative civilization." |
Needless to say, this way of thinking is demonstrably crap. But in 1948, it was held in great steem. Obviously, en tierra de ciegos, el tuerto es rey (in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king).
Interestingly, his thinking about the role of the races is traceable to what was much in vogue in those days: speculation on lost, ancient civilizations. Since dating methods based on the radioctive decay of elements were not yet developed, many respected scientists (geologists, archeologists, paleontologists, etc.) were not able to put their findings at the appropriate point in Earth's timeline. This is clearly in evidence in the first chapter of the book, titled "Mestizaje." Again, I'll translate selected passages.
The chapter begins:
| "Opinan geólogos autorizados que el continente americano contiene algunas de las más antiguas zonas del mundo. La masa de los Andes es, sin duda, tan vieja como la que más del planeta. Y si la tierra es antigua, también las trazas de vida y de cultura humana se remontan a donde no alcanzan los cálculos. Las ruinas arquitectónicas de mayas, quechuas y toltecas legendarios son testimonio de vida civilizada anterior a las más viejas fundaciones del Oriente y de Europa. A medida que las investigaciones progresan, se afirma la hipótesis de la Atlántida, como cuna de una civilización que hace millares de años floreció en el continente desaparecido y en parte de lo que es hoy América. El pensamiento de la Atlántida evoca el recuerdo de sus antecedentes misteriosos. El continente hiperbóreo desaparecido, sin dejar otras huellas que los rastros de vida y cultura que a veces se descubren bajo las nieves de Groenlandia; los lemurianos o raza negra del Sur; la civilización atlántida de los hombres rojos; en seguida la aparición de los amarillos, y por último, la civilización de los blancos. Explica mejor el proceso de los pueblos esta profunda hipótesis legendaria que las elucubraciones de geólogos como Ameghino, que ponen el origen del hombre en la Patagonia, una tierra que desde luego se sabe es de formación geológica reciente. En cambio, la versión de los Imperios étnicos de la prehistoria se afirma extraordinariamente con la teoría de Wegener de la translación de los continentes. Según esta tesis, todas las tierras estaban unidas, formando un solo continente, que se ha ido disgregando. Es entonces fácil suponer que en determinada región de una masa continua se desarrollaba una raza que después de progresar y decaer era sustituída por otra, en vez de recurrir a la hipótesis de las emigraciones de un continente a otro por medio de puentes desaparecidos." | "Authoritative geologists opine that the American continent has some of the oldest parts of the world. The Andean mass is, without doubt, as old as any other in the planet. And if the land is ancient, then the traces of human life and culture go back to where calculations cannot reach. The architectural ruins of the legendary Maya, Quechua, and Toltec are proof of civilized life that precedes the oldest foundation of the Orient and Europe. As the investigations progress, the hypothesis of Atlantis is affirmed, as the craddle of a civilization that thousands of years ago flourished in the vanished continent and in part of what is now America. To think of Atlantis evoques the memory of its mysterious entecedents. The disappeared hyperboreous continent, that left few clues other than the traces of life and culture that sometimes are found under the snows of Greenland; the lemurian or black race of the South; the Atlantis civilization of the red men; next the appearance of the yellow, and at last, the civilization of the whites. This profound legendary hypothesis is a better explanation for the development of the races than the beliefs of geologists like Ameghino, who place the origin of Man in Patagonia, a land that is well known to be of recent geologic formation. On the other hand, this idea of the Ethnic Empires of prehistory is in extraordinary agreement with Wegener theory of the translation of continents. According to this thesis, all the lands were once together, forming a single continent, whose parts have since then been dispersing. It is therefore easy to suppose that, in certain region of such a contigous mass, a race developed that after growth and decay was substituted by another, instead of relaying on the hypothesis of migrations from one continent to another across now vanished land bridges." |
(Proposes, in the following paragraphs, that the southern civilization, the "Lemurida" or quasi-African, dissappeared before the "Atlantida" which in turn, after its decay, was taken to Egypt so that Hermes and his disciples could learn from the ancients, etc.)...
| "Si, pues, somos antiguos geológicamente y también en lo que respecta a la tradición, ?cómo podremos seguir aceptando esa ficción inventada por nuestros padres europeos, de la novedad de un continente que existía desde antes de que apareciese la tierra de donde procedían descubridores y reconquistadores?" | "If we are, then, geologically old as well in cultural tradition, how can we continue to accept that fiction invented by our European fathers, of the newness of a continent that existed even before the appearance of the land from where discoverers and reconquerers originate?" |
(Discusses the need, in the next paragraphs, to use a "salto del espíritu" to understand what has happened to world history)...
|
"Ensayemos, pues, explicaciones, no con fantasía de novelista, pero sí
con una intuición que se apoya en los datos de la historia y la
ciencia.
La raza que hemos convenido en llamar atlántida prosperó y decayó en América. Despues de un extraordinario florecimiento, tras de cumplir su ciclo, terminada su misión particular, entró en silencio y fue decayendo hasta quedar reducida en los menguados Imperios azteca e inca, indignos totalmente de la antigua y superior cultura. Al decaer los atlantes, la civilización intensa se transladó a otros sitios y cambió de estirpes; deslumbró en Egipto; se ensanchó en la India y en Grecia injertando en razas nuevas..." |
"Let us try, then, explanations that do not rely on a
novelist's fantasy, but are based on an intuition that is supported by
data from history and science.
The race that we have agreed to call Atlantidae prospered and decayed in America. After an extraordinary flowering, once its cicle was complete, finished its particular mission, became silent and decayed until it diminished in the impoverished Aztec and Inca empires, which are totally poor heirs to the ancient and superior culture. Once the Atlantidae decayed, the intense civilization moved to other places and changed lineages; brightened in Egypt; expanded in India and, in Greece, inserted into new races." |
Vasconcelos thus sets the stage to what he considers the true mission of Latin America: to provide a place where the new race, the mixture of all races, will flourish. He bases this in the undisputed fact that Latin America had, by then, received members from every ethnic group and subsequent multiracial offspring had been prduced. Unfortunately, he considered that the new ethnic type had to be guided by principles originating from Spain, which he clearly considered the "civilizing" influence. This is evidenced by passages such as:
| "La obra portentosa iniciada por los férreos conquistadores y consumada por sabios y abnegados misioneros fue quedando anulada...(the influence of foreign kings [the Hapsburg?] in the exploitation of the Colonies is then bemoaned) | "The portentous work initiated by the steely conquerors and consumated by wise and virtuous missionaries was slowly anulled..." |
| "Nosotros no seremos grandes mientras el español de la América no se sienta tan español como los hijos de España." | "We will not be great as long as the Spaniard of America does not feel as Spanish as the sons of Spain." |
There are many other nuggets in this chapter that demonstrate the racism prevalent among the Mexican elite of the time (and some of it may still be there). But this note is getting to be too long to delve into them. Maybe another time.
Now for my editorial comment: while it is true that individuals of mixed race are common in the US (even in the face of the "one drop of black blood makes you black" type of thinking) and in México, this is not the case in the overall world. This fact, taken to extremes, has been used by numerous science-fiction writers to depict the future of the human species. However, the underpinnings of La Raza Cósmica are faulty since the the history of humanity and the world is nowhere near what Vasconcelos believed. Even if I was to overlook the kookiness of thinking that human beings developed simultaneously all over a single land mass, I cannot stomach the thought that Spanish culture and all that it represents (its particular brand of Christianity, for example) should be the beacon of our mestizo existance.
I could go on and on about the lack of validity of the various "scientific" claims that Vasconcelos used to buttress his thoughts but I won't go into that unless there is a demand for it.
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