Indigenous Citizens

Local Liberalism in Early National Oaxaca and Yucatán

Nonfiction, History, Americas, Mexico
Cover of the book Indigenous Citizens by Karen D. Caplan, Stanford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Karen D. Caplan ISBN: 9780804772914
Publisher: Stanford University Press Publication: December 3, 2009
Imprint: Stanford University Press Language: English
Author: Karen D. Caplan
ISBN: 9780804772914
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Publication: December 3, 2009
Imprint: Stanford University Press
Language: English

Indigenous Citizens challenges the commonly held assumption that early nineteenth-century Mexican state-building was a failure of liberalism. By comparing the experiences of two Mexican states, Oaxaca and Yucatán, Caplan shows how the institutions and ideas associated with liberalism became deeply entrenched in Mexico's regions, but only on locally acceptable terms. Faced with the common challenge of incorporating new institutions into political life, Mexicans—be they indigenous villagers, government officials, or local elites—negotiated ways to make those institutions compatible with a range of local interests. Although Oaxaca and Yucatán both had large indigenous majorities, the local liberalisms they constructed incorporated indigenous people differently as citizens. As a result, Oaxaca experienced relative social peace throughout this era, while Yucatán exploded with indigenous rebellion beginning in 1847. This book puts the interaction between local and national liberalisms at the center of the narrative of Mexico's nineteenth century. It suggests that "liberalism" must be understood not as an overarching system imposed on the Mexican nation but rather as a set of guiding assumptions and institutions that Mexicans put to use in locally specific ways.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Indigenous Citizens challenges the commonly held assumption that early nineteenth-century Mexican state-building was a failure of liberalism. By comparing the experiences of two Mexican states, Oaxaca and Yucatán, Caplan shows how the institutions and ideas associated with liberalism became deeply entrenched in Mexico's regions, but only on locally acceptable terms. Faced with the common challenge of incorporating new institutions into political life, Mexicans—be they indigenous villagers, government officials, or local elites—negotiated ways to make those institutions compatible with a range of local interests. Although Oaxaca and Yucatán both had large indigenous majorities, the local liberalisms they constructed incorporated indigenous people differently as citizens. As a result, Oaxaca experienced relative social peace throughout this era, while Yucatán exploded with indigenous rebellion beginning in 1847. This book puts the interaction between local and national liberalisms at the center of the narrative of Mexico's nineteenth century. It suggests that "liberalism" must be understood not as an overarching system imposed on the Mexican nation but rather as a set of guiding assumptions and institutions that Mexicans put to use in locally specific ways.

More books from Stanford University Press

Cover of the book Copyright’s Highway by Karen D. Caplan
Cover of the book Sweet Talk by Karen D. Caplan
Cover of the book Republic of Capital by Karen D. Caplan
Cover of the book Beyond Nation by Karen D. Caplan
Cover of the book Memoirs of a Grandmother by Karen D. Caplan
Cover of the book Gulf Security and the U.S. Military by Karen D. Caplan
Cover of the book Tough Choices by Karen D. Caplan
Cover of the book The Politics of Compassion by Karen D. Caplan
Cover of the book Digging for the Disappeared by Karen D. Caplan
Cover of the book British State Romanticism by Karen D. Caplan
Cover of the book Was Hitler a Riddle? by Karen D. Caplan
Cover of the book Transformative Beauty by Karen D. Caplan
Cover of the book Entrepreneurial Finance by Karen D. Caplan
Cover of the book Men and the Making of Modern British Feminism by Karen D. Caplan
Cover of the book The Pricing Journey by Karen D. Caplan
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy