Altering the Nation from Within

Abstract The article explores the historico-conceptual paradox of nation-building through the eyes of some collectives of artisans and craftsmen in Mexico during the 1840s. Analyzing some contributions to the history of the concept in nineteenth-century Mexico unveils some of its semantic and political paradoxes. By briefly discussing some contestations that emerged from different groups to the concept forged by centralists and industrialists, the article analyzes the importance a national-economic project had for the formation of the concept of nation. The industrialization agenda advocated by certain groups was contested by artisan collectives who developed new conceptions of political and economic relations among national subjects through the organization and cooperation of work. The article finally discusses whether the “working nation” disclosed by these associations can be considered a form of alternative nationalism or an alternative form of nation altogether.