Talk Delves Deep Into Mexican Life, Culture

Professors Mary Docter and Laura Montgomery, who have developed and led Westmont in Mexico, a semester-long academic program in Querétaro, present a lecture, “Westmont in Mexico: A Deeper Encounter with Mexican Life and Culture,” Thursday, Feb. 11, at 5:30 p.m. in University Club, 1332 Santa Barbara St. The lecture, part of Westmont Downtown: Conversations About Things That Matter, is free and open to the public.

The event is tied to the fifth annual Westmont’s President’s Breakfast Feb. 19 where Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico, will speak. The professors will discuss Fox’s autobiography, “Revolution of Hope,” the importance of cultivating a deeper understanding of Mexico and the value of taking students to live and study there.

“Westmont in Mexico opens students’ eyes to a more authentic vision of Mexico, a more complete picture of its rich history, culture, and peoples,” says Docter, Westmont professor of Spanish.

“An underlying theme in President Fox’s book is that the destinies of our two countries are intertwined and that our relationship will be to the greatest advantage of both when it is based on greater mutual respect and understanding,” says Montgomery, Westmont professor of anthropology.

“The unique, three-semester cycle of the Westmont in Mexico program builds the cultural competence necessary to build this type of relationship,” Montgomery says. “In their own words, our students return with ‘newly opened eyes’ that see beyond stereotypes to perceive others and themselves more clearly and accurately. They have learned it is more constructive ‘to listen and ask good questions than to argue and push.’ One student puts it, ‘Loving a culture involves more than just enjoying it while you’re there. It includes having a desire to share it, or possibly a burden to open the eyes of people who have not seen or do not understand other cultures,’” Montgomery says.

The Westmont Foundation sponsors both the breakfast and the lecture series to reach out and engage the larger Santa Barbara and Montecito communities.