“Trabajador sin ser esclavo:” la biopolítica, el costumbrismo tardío y el homo œconomicus en el Veracruz del Porfiriato

During Mexico's Porfiriato era (late 19th century), Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, exemplified the tension between liberal reforms and biopolitical control. This study reveals how local identity was both preserved and subjugated through economic and legal frameworks, analyzed via Michel Foucault's biopolítica lens. Cayetano Rodríguez Beltrán's 1902 text, Perfiles del terruño, depicts social typologies in Tlacotalpan as a cultural safeguard, yet simultaneously classifies its inhabitants as homo œconomicus—economic and legal subjects. The research decodes this paradox using Foucault’s 'conjunto económico-jurídico,' exposing how late 19th-century Mexican liberalism balanced freedom with new forms of domination. Key insights include the role of costumbrismo (local narrative traditions) in resisting or reinforcing biopolitical structures, offering a nuanced view of regional identity under Porfiriato rule.

Anzzolin, K. M. (2022). “Trabajador sin ser esclavo:” la biopolítica, el costumbrismo tardío y el homo œconomicus en el Veracruz del Porfiriato. Balajú. Revista de Cultura Y Comunicación de La Universidad Veracruzana, (16), 154–181. https://doi.org/10.25009/blj.i16.2676