Jaclyn A. Sumner

“Indigenous Autocracy” is an examination of how go-betweens and ethnic minorities managed local politics during the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz (1876-1911) in Mexico. Using the central state of Tlaxcala as a case study, the project investigates regional spaces where negotiation took place between officials and citizens during this crucial period of modernization and oppression in Mexican history. The book utilizes materials from twelve different national, state, and local Mexican archives. The grant will support a course buyout to complete the manuscript in the spring of 2021.