Abstract

LASKE, Trilce. The Public Instrumentalization of Patriotism: An Intellectual Controversy in Mexico (1703). Secuencia [online]. 2017, n.99, pp.6-36. ISSN 2395-8464.  https://doi.org/10.18234/secuencia.v0i99.1464.

This article addresses an intellectual controversy that took place in Mexico in 1703. Triggered by the statements of academic superiority by the new Basque archdeacon, this issue was rapidly taken up by a significant section of the city, which shifted it towards patriotism. Historically, this article follows and seeks to contribute to a new current that questions the effective dimension of criollismo in New Spain. As regards the controversy, in the early 18th century, patriotism emerged as a purely instrumental tool in the hands of an elite which, on the basis of dubious allegations, used it as a political tool to mobilize the public space.

Keywords : intellectuals; criollismo; public space; New Spain; elites.