The Pronunciamiento in independent Mexico, 1821-1876

This project aims to develop a better understanding of the civil conflicts that broke out with remarkable and tragic consistency following the achievement of independence. Over 2000 'pronunciamientos' erupted in Mexico between 1821 and 1876, in some cases leading to bloody civil wars, in others to a peaceful change of government or a shift in policy. The project will include the construction of an online relational database of individuals, communities, regiments, factions/parties and professions of those involved in the pronunciamientos. This resource will enable future generations of scholars to obtain a true sense of who took up arms and why, and to determine whether certain patterns or trends emerged with the passing of time led to what could be viewed as an institutionalisation of the pronunciamiento. Cross-referencing entries of individuals, regional trends and patterns, urban and rural mobilisations, outcomes and memory, with reviews of relevant historiographical sources and a bibliography of political violence and revolutionary activity, will constitute an extremely helpful resource for the study of Independent Mexico, and parallel postcolonial countries/contexts. Outcomes of the project will include three conferences, three edited volumes on the origins, experience and memory of these forceful petitions, and a monograph by Professor Fowler.