• The Mexican Essay of National Identity in the Post-National Era: Mexicanness and Post-Mexicanness in Jorge Castañeda and Heriberto Yépez

Abstract

In spite of the critiques aimed in recent decades at the tradition of Mexican writings on national identity, there has been a resurgence in the last few years of books on the topic of the Mexican character. This essay examines works by Jorge Castañeda and Heriberto Yépez that are a part of this new trend. I argue, however, that these authors do not offer a simple return to an earlier tradition of writings of national identity. Although Castañeda and Yépez reject the view that identities are mere inventions, arguing that the Mexican national character has a real existence, they also maintain that this national character is an obstacle to the nation’s progress and therefore needs to be overcome, rather than celebrated. In this way, their works combine a national with a post-national perspective.