The making of mexican citizens in the civil catechisms of the post-independence (1821-1836)

• Grant number: 22/12520-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: November 01, 2023
• End date: October 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - History of America
• Principal Investigator: Gabriela Pellegrino Soares
• Grantee: Eric Cyon Rodrigues
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Political catechisms constituted a fundamental didactic tool in Mexico for the transmission of political ideas in the early decades after independence. Structured in simple dialogues, catechisms provided explanations regarding topics related to the emerging political order, such as citizenship, sovereignty, and nation. They were part of a diverse set of printed materials that circulated throughout the country and aided in the civic education of Mexican citizens, within a context where deep political disputes permeated the turbulent process of Mexican state formation.Between the years 1821 and 1836, political groups in Mexico sought to build a sovereign state based on different projects, which gradually defined themselves as liberal and conservative. Initially, borders were drawn around the issue of provincial autonomy in relation to the central state, a key question in the violent political clashes. Thus, while federalists and centralists confronted each other, the pages of books, newspapers, and pamphlets inundated the public space with different proposals for the country. This investigation will work with five political catechisms, aiming to capture how these printed materials represented and sought to shape the new Mexican citizens.For this purpose, the analysis will consist of three stages: exposition of the biographical trajectory and textual production of each author, observing their background and political alignment; identification of the main representatives of the federalist-centralist debate and how groups organized themselves around the issue; comparative study of the catechisms, examining the definitions of political concepts and proposals for the political and social organization of Mexico.