Article ID: CBB406028924

Interrupted Conversations: Gender and Telephone Use in Mexico, 1930s–70s (2023)

unapi

The telephone was a source of disorder in mid-twentieth-century Mexico. Although often viewed as a ubiquitous part of modern life, the development of the telephone provoked public discontent, led to strained social relations, and dictated new communication norms. State and commercial firms aimed to associate the telephone with a modern, connected society's ideals and assurances. When firms failed to deliver on their promise of efficient communication, Mexico's citizens expressed outrage over the lack of access to phones and poor service. Analyzing telephone users' petitions and press articles, this article also shows how increasing telephone use provoked a renegotiation of gender ideals and social norms, reinforcing traditional gender roles for middle-class women. In highlighting how phone booths brought these conflicts to the urban public, this article suggests the concept of fractured modernity to better understand the social embedding of technology in the Global South.

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Authors & Contributors
Jepsen, Thomas C.
John, Richard R.
Bills, Emily
Finn, Bernard S.
Green, Venus
Hayes, Joy Elizabeth
Journals
Technology and Culture
American Quarterly
History and Technology
Humanities and Technology Review
Publishers
New York University
Belknap Press of Harvard University Press
Duke University Press
Harvard University Press
IEEE
MIT Press
Concepts
Telegraphs; telephones
Communication technology
Technology and society
Technology
Methods of communication; media
Technology and gender
People
McLuhan, Marshall
Postman, Neil
Time Periods
19th century
20th century
20th century, early
21st century
Modern
Places
United States
Mexico
California (U.S.)
France
Americas
London (England)
Institutions
United States. Army. Signal Corps
American Telephone and Telegraph Company
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