CRC 496 C7 - The Symbolic Constitution of the Nation: Mexico in the Age of Revolutions, 1786-1848

Basic data for this project

Description

Latin American independence movements constitute an indispensable part of the "Age of Revolutions". The investigation concentrates on the importance of symbolic communication during the transition from an early modern society to a modern Republic, as exemplified by the Viceroyalty of New Spain from which evolved in 1821 the independent Mexico. This process was characterized by the special situation of decolonisation and ethnic differentiation of society. The focus will be on the role of collective symbols and symbolic representations in early Mexican nation- and state-building. How was the new social order communicated and represented? And how did symbolic representations influence the new order? Which symbols were used for constructing a national identity beyond ethnic bounds between the populations of Spanish, indigenous or African origin? Which social and/or ethnic groups were included or excluded symbolically from the nation? In addition, the overcoming of antagonisms resulting from social and spatial identities will be elaborated on in this project. The political change from a colonial society of the Ancien Régime to a nation state required great efforts towards integration both territorially and ethnically, which could ultimately only be achieved through symbolic practices.