Fanatismo, tolerancia y civilización en México, 1821-1859

Abstract

During the first half of the 19th century in Mexico, the concept of fanaticism, which had been re-semantized in France at the end of the previous century, became particularly important in debates about religious tolerance. On the one hand, it was used to identify what was impossible to preserve in the modern world, and what it was necessary to eliminate to achieve the prosperity of other nations. From the opposite perspective, it served to disqualify those who dared to question the Catholic unity, accusing them of leading the country to anarchy instead of the promised prosperity. Mexican elites used this concept to discuss how much traditional religion could adapt to modern civilization.

Keywords

• Nationalism
• Religion
• Liberalism
• Catholicism
• Secularization