MÉXICO: IDENTIDAD, DIVERSIDAD Y EXTRANJERÍA

Abstract

One constant factor that has traversed life in Mexico is the presence of a nationalist sentiment that has confronted Mexicans and non-Mexicans, even before the formation of the republic and before the categories of “national” and “foreigner” were ideologically or legally decanted. National identity has been erected on the basis of a precarious premise that condemns it to persistently separate “insiders” from “outsiders”, an apprehension that has extended not only to those who come from the outside and represent the most obvious example —immigrants— but also those who live among us: Indigenous peoples themselves. The foundation of this research is set as a critical analysis on concepts and principles that form the basis of nationalism that has formed in Mexico; a form of nationalism which is characterized by a powerful homogenous tendency of a nation which sees itself as cohesive and exceptional. This form of nationalism which is ethnic at its core —in order to ensure its survival— is suspicious of foreigners, preventing itself from accepting immigration and to live harmoniously with diversity. This article is an attempt to understand the process of building this difference since the dawn of the independence of Mexico.