Modernization, inclusion and exclusion; the yaqui affair in Sonora (Mexico) at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century

Authors

  • Ermanno Abbondanza Doctor del “Dipartimento di Studi Politici” de la Università degli Studi de Turín

Abstract

Once their independence processes were finished, every Latin American country had to deal with its own political and economical reorganization and the social and cultural identity of its citizens. However, until the twentieth century, the ethnical and racial policies were adapted to different geographical and historical contexts, making difficult a single policy. In Mexico, the “demographic issue” of Sonora and the “Yaqui Affair” were representative examples of these problems. Being close to the United States of America and given the distrust toward the indigenous people –a ‘nuance’ to the developing policies– and the incapacity of the vecino to achieve the expected order and progress, the government supported any means to ‘correct’ the citizens and foster nationalistic feelings and sense of identification.

Keywords:

Sonora, Porfiriato, identity/alterity, Yaqui Indians, nationbuilding