Nationalist Myths and Ethnic Identities: Indigenous Intellectuals and the Mexican StateThis timely study examines the processes by which modern states are created within multiethnic societies. How are national identities forged from countries made up of peoples with different and often conflicting cultures, languages, and histories? How successful is this process? What is lost and gained from the emergence of national identities? ø Natividad Gutiärrez examines the development of the modern Mexican state to address these difficult questions. She describes how Mexican national identity has been and is being created and evaluates the effectiveness of that process of state-building. Her investigation is distinguished by a critical consideration of cross-cultural theories of nationalism and the illuminating use of a broad range of data from Mexican culture and history, including interviews with contemporary indigenous intellectuals and students, an analysis of public-school textbooks, and information gathered from indigenous organizations. Gutiärrez argues that the modern Mexican state is buttressed by pervasive nationalist myths of foundation, descent, and heroism. These myths?expressed and reinforced through the manipulation of symbols, public education, and political discourse?downplay separate ethnic identities and work together to articulate an overriding nationalist ideology. ø The ideology girding the Mexican state has not been entirely successful, however. This study reveals that indigenous intellectuals and students are troubled by the relationship between their nationalist and ethnic identities and are increasingly questioning official policies of integration. |
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acculturation Aguirre aimed ancient ANPIBAC argued assimilation Aztec Benito Juárez bilingual Campeche central century Chiapas civic colonial conquest construction dian Díaz digenous discourse dominant Educación Indígena education system elites emerged ethnic groups Etnias example Franco Gabriel Gamio Gellner Góngora Pacheco grade graduate Hernández heroes Hispanic ideology important Indian cultures indige indigenist indigenous indigenous intellectual indigenous languages indigenous students institutions interviews La Malinche Lázaro Cárdenas Liberal linguistic López Malinche Maya Mazateco ment Mesoamerica mestizaje mestizo Mexican nationalism Mexico City Michoacán Mixteco modern myth of foundation mythology Nahua narrative nation-state national identity national integration nationalist native non-Indian Oaxaca official opinion organization origin past peasant Pérez perspective political population Porfirio Díaz postgraduate pre-Hispanic Press primary education professionals pueblo Purépecha region role rural social society Spaniards Spanish symbols teachers territory textbooks tion tional Tlaxcala traditions Tseltal Tzotzil University women writers Yucatán Zapoteco