Gustavo Cabrera Pinzon

DPhil Research Topic

Society, Government, and Modernity: Understanding The Perceived Purpose of Government in Early Republican Mexico, 1823-1850.  

My research explores indigenous and urban non-elite perceptions of government in early republican Mexico. While this project falls firmly within the realm of political history, I draw on themes of intellectual history, economic history, and social history. I aim to answer questions regarding popular understandings of democracy, legitimacy, and rule of law.  While the literature has expressed high levels of interest in the elite's perception of government, both practically and ideologically, the non-elite are virtually forgotten from the historiography. I mean to fill in this gap through the analysis of political motivations and interests. Why did people run for local council? Why did they vote? Why did they pay their taxes? What did they think the duty of government was? Was there a philosophical transition on the perceived duty of governors from the colonial era to the early republic? 

I graduated from the University of St Andrews in 2023 with an MA in Modern History and International Relations. I then went to study an MSc in Latin American Studies at the University of Oxford, where I wrote a dissertation that traced the evolution of Mexican nationalism from 1823 to 1910. I am a local of Mexico City. 

My DPhil is generously funded by the Secretaria de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnología, e Innovación of the Mexican Government. 

Supervisor: Eduardo Posada Carbo