Premium
Positivism and Nationalism in 19 th Century France and Mexico
Author(s) -
Eastwood Jonathan
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of historical sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.186
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1467-6443
pISSN - 0952-1909
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6443.2004.00236.x
Subject(s) - positivism , nationalism , elite , politics , collectivism , sociology , narrative , relation (database) , political science , philosophy , law , individualism , linguistics , computer science , database
This article explores the relationship between positivism and nationalism in 19 th century France and Mexico, arguing that positivism cannot be understood without considering it in close relation to the rise of collectivistic and civic nationalism in each society. To elite intellectuals in both France and Mexico, positivism seemed to resolve the apparent chaos generated by the political‐conceptual revolution that nationalism had given rise to, and to provide the background to an historical narrative that served nationalist aims, by seeming to assure the ultimate triumph of the nation.