Good Hosts as Ideal Citizens: Crafting Identity onIsla de Mujeres

The main message described in the following pages isthe conscious, intentional political project byMexican government and tourism officials to promotean ideology of cultural citizenship that encompassesthe notion of a clean and tidy citizen as a good hostfor tourists that visit Isla de Mujeres a smallisland located in the Mexican Caribbean. Thepromotion of cleanliness at the national, regional,and local levels by Mexican government officials andagencies translates into marketing campaigns such assigns and murals designed for Isleños eyes only.What is underlined in the commentary of Isleños isthe racialization of cleanliness based on an ideologyof a biological lineage having to do with a purity ofblood or limpieza de sangre -cleanliness of blood-brought to New Spain/Mexico by Spanishconquistadores. The promotion of cleanliness at thenational, regional, and local levels by Mexicangovernment officials and agencies translates intomarketing campaigns such as television and radiocommercials, signs, murals, school curriculum, andextracurricular activities such as communityorganizations geared toward children.

Autorentext

Ilda Jimenez y West received her Ph.D. in social cultural anthropology at USC. Her research interests include the racialization of cleanliness, identity socialization through media campaigns and school curriculum. Her current research interests are how to advise doctoral candidates to completion through social support structures.

Klappentext
The main message described in the following pages is the conscious, intentional political project by Mexican government and tourism officials to promote an ideology of cultural citizenship that encompasses the notion of a clean and tidy citizen as a good host for tourists that visit Isla de Mujeres a small island located in the Mexican Caribbean. The promotion of cleanliness at the national, regional, and local levels by Mexican government officials and agencies translates into marketing campaigns such as signs and murals designed for Isleños eyes only. What is underlined in the commentary of Isleños is the racialization of cleanliness based on an ideology of a biological lineage having to do with a purity of blood or limpieza de sangre -cleanliness of blood- brought to New Spain/Mexico by Spanish conquistadores. The promotion of cleanliness at the national, regional, and local levels by Mexican government officials and agencies translates into marketing campaigns such as television and radio commercials, signs, murals, school curriculum, and extracurricular activities such as community organizations geared toward children.