Ateneo de La Juventud
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ATENEO DE LA JUVENTUD From "Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture" Copyright © 1997 by FITZROY DEARBORN PUBLISHERS Mexican cultural life in the first half of the twentieth century was defined by the presence of intellectuals who, at the end of 1909, had formed the Ateneo de la Juventud. The founders of the Ateneo sought to formulate an alternative to the “medieval rigidity,” positivist orthodoxy, and francophile affectation which had defined fin-de-siècle intellectual life in Mexico. The very name of the group, the “youth athenaeum,” established a counterpoint to the gerontocracy of Porfirio Díaz; products of the Porfirian educational system, most of the founders were between 20 and 28 years old. Without breaking with French culture, the members of the Ateneo returned Mexican culture to its indigenous and Spanish roots and strengthened Mexico’s ties with other Latin American countries. Promoting a philosophical and moral renovation, the Ateneo helped fundamentally reorient educational policy in Mexico, particularly in institutions of higher learning. The immediate antecedents of the Ateneo were the journal Savia Moderna and the Society of Conferences. The staff of Savia Moderna only managed to publish five issues, the first in March 1906 and the last in July of the same year. The journal opened its doors to young artists and scholars who had been shut out of official venues. Such future members of the Ateneo as Antonio Caso, Alfonso Reyes, Carlos González Peña, and the Dominican Pedro Henríquez Ureña published their early work in Savia, and the journal also reproduced artwork by Diego Rivera and Jorge Enciso. Savia folded when its director and sponsor Alfonso Cravioto departed for Europe, but a nucleus of authors and editors from the journal continued to meet in the workshop of Jesús T. Acevedo, reading and discussing works not recognized in official institutions. The group originally planned organize a series of conferences on Greece. Although they never were able to complete this project, Greek culture continued to be the most important passion of the group and gave it its characteristic humanistic profile. Caso and Henríquez Ureña began to read Bergson, Boutroux, and James, discovering new ways to oppose positivism and renew Mexican philosophy. Their readings later extended to such thinkers as Plato, Kant, Hegel, Descartes, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Cros, Poincaré, and Buddha. At Acevedo’s initiative the participants in the meetings organized the Society of Conferences to provide a public forum for contemporary ideas. The society organized two cycles of conferences, the first from late May through August 1907, and the second in March and April of 1908. Organized by Caso, the first conference discussed the work of Nietzche and the second the work of Max Stirner. The dissertation of Pedro Henríquez Ureña on the Castillian poet José María Gabriel y Galán and Isidro Fabela’s work on the novelist José María de Pereda marked a return to Spanish language and culture. Jesús Acevedo’s work on architecture in New Spain was a profound reevaluation of the colonial period in Mexico, which the positivist orthodoxy had rejected. After the conferences on Nietzche and Stirner the Society of Conferences dissolved, although its members individually continued the work begun by the group and helped organize the Ateneo. The Ateneo was founded on October 28, 1909. Its early members included such luminaries as Jesús Acevedo, Antonio Caso, José Vasconcelos, Alfonso Reyes, Pedro Henríquez Ureña, Julio Torri, Martín Luis Guzmán, and Diego Rivera. They were encouraged by the current minister of public instruction and fine arts, Justo Sierra, who exercised a decisive influence on the group. The Ateneo’s influence on Mexican arts and letters was felt almost immediately. In 1909 Antonio Caso organized a series on conferences in the elite Escuela Nacional Preparatoria on the history of positivism,
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Transcript of Ateneo de La Juventud
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ATENEO DE LA JUVENTUDFrom "Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture"
Copyright 1997 by FITZROY DEARBORN PUBLISHERS
Mexican cultural life in the first half of the twentieth century was defined by the presence of intellectuals who,at the end of 1909, had formed the Ateneo de la Juventud. The founders of the Ateneo sought to formulatean alternative to the medieval rigidity, positivist orthodoxy, and francophile affectation which had definedfin-de-sicle intellectual life in Mexico. The very name of the group, the youth athenaeum, established acounterpoint to the gerontocracy of Porfirio Daz; products of the Porfirian educational system, most of thefounders were between 20 and 28 years old. Without breaking with French culture, the members of theAteneo returned Mexican culture to its indigenous and Spanish roots and strengthened Mexicos ties withother Latin American countries. Promoting a philosophical and moral renovation, the Ateneo helpedfundamentally reorient educational policy in Mexico, particularly in institutions of higher learning.The immediate antecedents of the Ateneo were the journal Savia Moderna and the Society of Conferences.The staff of Savia Moderna only managed to publish five issues, the first in March 1906 and the last in Julyof the same year. The journal opened its doors to young artists and scholars who had been shut out ofofficial venues. Such future members of the Ateneo as Antonio Caso, Alfonso Reyes, Carlos Gonzlez Pea,and the Dominican Pedro Henrquez Urea published their early work in Savia, and the journal alsoreproduced artwork by Diego Rivera and Jorge Enciso.Savia folded when its director and sponsor Alfonso Cravioto departed for Europe, but a nucleus of authorsand editors from the journal continued to meet in the workshop of Jess T. Acevedo, reading and discussingworks not recognized in official institutions. The group originally planned organize a series of conferences onGreece. Although they never were able to complete this project, Greek culture continued to be the mostimportant passion of the group and gave it its characteristic humanistic profile. Caso and Henrquez Ureabegan to read Bergson, Boutroux, and James, discovering new ways to oppose positivism and renewMexican philosophy. Their readings later extended to such thinkers as Plato, Kant, Hegel, Descartes,Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Cros, Poincar, and Buddha. At Acevedos initiative the participants in themeetings organized the Society of Conferences to provide a public forum for contemporary ideas. Thesociety organized two cycles of conferences, the first from late May through August 1907, and the second inMarch and April of 1908. Organized by Caso, the first conference discussed the work of Nietzche and thesecond the work of Max Stirner. The dissertation of Pedro Henrquez Urea on the Castillian poet JosMara Gabriel y Galn and Isidro Fabelas work on the novelist Jos Mara de Pereda marked a return toSpanish language and culture. Jess Acevedos work on architecture in New Spain was a profoundreevaluation of the colonial period in Mexico, which the positivist orthodoxy had rejected.After the conferences on Nietzche and Stirner the Society of Conferences dissolved, although its membersindividually continued the work begun by the group and helped organize the Ateneo. The Ateneo wasfounded on October 28, 1909. Its early members included such luminaries as Jess Acevedo, Antonio Caso,Jos Vasconcelos, Alfonso Reyes, Pedro Henrquez Urea, Julio Torri, Martn Luis Guzmn, and DiegoRivera. They were encouraged by the current minister of public instruction and fine arts, Justo Sierra, whoexercised a decisive influence on the group.The Ateneos influence on Mexican arts and letters was felt almost immediately. In 1909 Antonio Casoorganized a series on conferences in the elite Escuela Nacional Preparatoria on the history of positivism,
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sparking a return to philosophy and metaphysics to institutions of higher learning. A second series ofconferences was organized in 1910 to commemorate the centenary of the Mexican independence (thefounders of the Ateneo came to be known as the Generation of the Centenary). In the 1910 conferencesthe members of the Ateneo developed the general contours of their ideology: opposition to positivism,reevaluation of key figures and currents in the history of Mexican letters, and the groups connection withLatin American idealist philosophy.Under the presidency of Jos Vasconcelos, who was involved in the cause of the leader of the MexicanRevolution, Francisco I. Madero, in 1912 the Ateneo ceased to be a coterie of lovers of culture and becamea circle of friends dedicated to political action. Nonetheless, the Ateneo as such never played a directpolitical role, although many of its members had joined the various factions opposed to the Daz regime. TheAteneo did not want to promote a social revolution, nor was it in a position to do so. It effected a profoundcultural transformation in Mexico, but it cannot be considered an antecedent of the Revolution. Its memberswould play a marginal role at best in the Revolutionary movement and the formulation of the principles of theRevolution. Indeed, the Revolution impeded the Ateneo from continuing its work in favor of intellectual andartistic culture (in the words of the groups charter). In December 1912 the members of the Ateneo foundedthe Universidad Popular to bring higher learning to the workplace, and from November 1913 to January1914 they organized another series of conferences. In 1914, however, the group was forced to dissolve.If the Revolution scattered the members of the Ateneo, they would continue to exercise a decisive influenceon national life. Members of the Ateneo would be the first professors of humanities in the School ofAdvanced Studies (today the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters) in the National University, rectors of theNational University, secretaries of education, foreign relations, and the treasury, a candidate for president ofMexico, members of the Mexican legislature and diplomatic corps, high officials in several governmentagencies, founders of educational institutions, distinguished members of the Academy of MexicanLanguage, and journalists. They also would become poets, novelists, essayists, philosophers, painters, andmusicians who would exercise an incalculable influence on contemporary Mexican culture.Select Bibliography
Henrquez Urea, Pedro, Horas de estudio, La influencia de la Revolucin en la vida intelectualde Mxico, and La cultura de las humanidades. In Obra critica, Mexico City: Fondo de CulturaEconmica, 1981.
Hernndez Luna, Juan, editor, Conferencias del Ateneo de la Juventud. Mexico City: UNAM, 1962.Ramos, Samuel, El perfil del hombre y la cultura en Mxico. In Obras completas, vol. 1, Mexico City:
UNAM, 1975.Ramos, Samuel, Historia de la filosofa en Mxico. In Obras completas, vol. 2, Mexico City: UNAM,
1976.Reyes, Alfonso, Universidad, poltica y pueblo. Mexico City, UNAM, 1985.Rojas Garcidueas, Jos, El Ateneo de la Juventud y la Revolucin Mexicana. Mexico City: Biblioteca
del Instituto Nacional de Estudios Histricos de la Revolucin Mexicana, 1979.Vansconcelos, Jos, El movimiento intelectual contemporneo de Mxico and Don Gabino
Barreda y las ideas contemporneas. In Obras completas, vol. 1, Mexico City: Libreros MexicanosUnidos, 1957.Margarita Vera Cuspinera
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Copyright 1997 by FITZROY DEARBORN PUBLISHERS
Persistent URL to the Entry:http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/routmex/ateneo_de_la_juventud/0
APACuspinera, M.(1998). Ateneo DE LA Juventud. In Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture.Retrieved from http://www.library.rochester.edu/ezproxy.php?dbredirect=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.credoreference.com%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Froutmex%2Fateneo_de_la_juventud%2F0
MLACuspinera, Margarita Vera "Ateneo DE LA Juventud." Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society &Culture. London: Routledge, 1998. Credo Reference. Web. 10 July 2014.
ChicagoCuspinera, Margarita Vera "Ateneo DE LA Juventud." In Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society &Culture. London: Routledge, 1998. http://www.library.rochester.edu/ezproxy.php?dbredirect=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.credoreference.com%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Froutmex%2Fateneo_de_la_juventud%2F0 (accessed July 10, 2014.)
HarvardCuspinera, M. 1998 'Ateneo DE LA Juventud' in Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture,Routledge, London, United Kingdom. Accessed: 10 July 2014, from Credo Reference
