Abstract

GONZALEZ SALINAS, Omar Fabián. Petroculture, Nation and National Identity in Mexico, 1914-1937. Hist. mex. [online]. 2024, vol.73, n.3, pp.1285-1318.  Epub Jan 22, 2024. ISSN 2448-6531.  https://doi.org/10.24201/hm.v73i3.4702.

This article studies the origins of a petroculture in Mexico that was intertwined with imaginaries of the nation and national identity. It analyzes the 1914-1937 period to show the way in which the oil policies of Venustiano Carranza, the Constitutional Convention of 1917, legislative debates on a Petroleum Law, the founding of Petromex and petroleum literature contributed to connecting this fuel with elements of Mexican nationalism, such as the image of a fatherland rich in natural resources, with a promising future; xenophobic sentiments; evocations of historical memories; and feelings of patriotic pride. It also offers an analysis of the detractors of this petronationalism. The theoretical references for this article are the modernist theory on the construction of nations and the concept of “petroculture” derived from the Energy Humanities.

Keywords : petroculture; nation; national identity; memory; xenophobia.