OCR Text |
Show 106 This lecture points out that despite the action of economics and the work of economists, misery and poverty persist among the masses. It also shows that economics proceeds on its own instead of in coordination with sociology, and adheres to the proposed creation of a new branch of sociology, economic sociology, which is wise. With special reference to the Indo-Iberian countries, of which Mexico is a genuine representative, we think that for the economist work to be fruitful for the whole population of these countries, and not just for certain sectors thereof, it must be supplemented by all the social sciences and not just sociology. That is, economics, sociology, history, anthropology, etc. should have a part in research on social groups and especially Indo-mestizo groups. The essential trend of economics should unquestionably be to obtain for men the means of satisfying their needs-material, and intellectual or abstract. But to be successful in this, it is first necessary to know what these needs are. Unfortunately, in these countries, this is never or almost never the case. When all these investigations are joined to those of the economist and sociologist, a true national economy can be organized and applied for the benefit of all and not just a few social sectors. Editorial. "La Habitacion Rural Indigena," America Indigena, XV No. 3 (July, 1955), pp. 171-174. The recent notable rise in world population is the result of a combination of factors, such as improvements in sanitary conditions, the progress achieved by modern therapeutics, an increase in the production of subsistence foods, and other like causes. At the same time, these same factors have been responsible for a marked housing shortage. In addition, to the scarcity of living quarters, most available houses still preserve out-dated traditional elements in their construction, while they lack ordinary comfort and sanitation. This is especially true among groups of the lower economic levels, which actually form the majority of cases. During the course of thousands of years, the Indian has adapted himself to the bio-geographic medium of his American habitat. He lives in dwellings that cannot and should not be radically displaced by the substitution of a Western type of housing, as those who have been misinformed in the matter continue to maintain. Indian rural homes, which are essentially the pre-Columbian type of house with or without a certain amount of reformation, offers several real advantages which ought definitely to be preserved and emphasized, |