Imperialism Unawareness: The Case of Citizenship Construction Among Mexican Transnational Students

ABSTRACT

This study analyzes the impact that U.S. curricula have on Mexican transnational returnees. Specifically, this article focuses on the ideological development of the army and imperialism promoted in U.S. schools among Mexican populations. Using a framework that combines critical literacies, transnationalism, and Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and doxa, this study draws on data from 24 interviews to Mexican transnational returnee students (n = 4), Mexican national professors (n = 4), and Mexican national students (n = 4) during their concurrence in a program of English language teaching in central Mexico. Findings suggest that, before returning to Mexico, Mexican transnationals are exposed to educational practices that foster unawareness of U.S. hegemony, imperialism, and expansionism. When (back) in Mexico, transnationals pursuing a degree in language teaching had interiorized uncritical perspectives of the U.S. army, which contrasted with the ideological inclinations of their Mexican national counterparts. This ideological discrepancy partially explains the tensions and mutual discrimination among these populations regardless of their common Mexican origin.

KEYWORDS:

• Mexican transnationals
• curricular ideologies
• U.S. imperialism
• U.S. army critical literacies
• cit

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ In this investigation, in alignment with research I conducted regarding transnationals (Martínez-Prieto & Lindahl, 2020), I define Mexican transnationals as Mexican-origin individuals who have studied in the United States for at least one year before returning to Mexico. While other studies have labeled these individuals as returnees (i.e., Zúñiga et al., 2016), transnationals in this and former studies have clarified they did not “return” to Mexico; instead, they felt they arrived by the first time after having lived and studied in the United States for long periods.