Reflections on Transnational Research and Writing

I often think of myself as a country specialist, immersed in the particulars of nineteenth century Mexico.  But I am also conscious that only by holding onto a transnational (as well as comparative) perspective can I understand, and work to explain, what I observe in Mexico.  The challenge in my own research and writing on the history of institutions, economies, and technology is often to find that balance between the local and the transnational, between external influences and local peculiarities.