National Fragments and Post-national Cultures: Mexican National Identity in Transition?

Abstract

Over the past two decades, Mexican society, economics and culture have undergone a dramatic set of transformations. Accordingly, certain historical narratives that underpinned Mexican national identity formation throughout the 20th century have begun to unravel. As a result of this process, some scholars posit that a ‘post-national’ political culture is emerging in Mexico. This paper seeks to examine these trends through a critical examination of the narratives around national identity found in interviews conducted in Mexico in 2000. As a theoretical frame, this paper begins by examining the concept of post-nationalism. It then turns to an overview of 20th-century national formation in Mexico to provide a contextual basis for the interpreting the interview excerpts. The resulting analysis demonstrates the co-presence of national and post-national narratives in Mexico, both of which display hegemonic and subaltern dimensions. The particular discursive contours of these narratives have roots, this paper argues, in the contemporary intersection of state authoritarianism and neo-liberal globalisation.

Notes

The current debate over the privatisation of Mexican oil provides an acute example of this.

I have chosen not to conduct a regional comparison in this paper. In fact, as will be seen in the interview excerpts, many themes that emerged in the interviews cut across region.

This strategy draws on Said's (1993) notion of ‘contrapuntal’ readings.

I identify in a general way, the institutional location of individuals I interviewed, although I have removed almost all other identifying information. I include institutions because that was the means through which I identified individuals for interviews. I do not claim, however, that the perspectives voiced in my interviews represent an official position of the institution.

See the Mexico Project at the National Security Archive at: www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/mexico/

A surprising critique for someone affiliated with the PRI.

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPROSPECTS/Resources/334934-1199807908806/Top10.pdf

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Patricia M. Martin

The author would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments on an earlier version of this paper and Mark Purcell, for his support and guidance through the review and editorial process.