“Global Fragments”: The Insertion of the Mexican Press in the Transnational Public Sphere during the First Decades of the Twentieth Century

Drawing on theoretical studies of globalization processes and the public sphere, this articleanalyzes debates during the first decades of the twentieth century regarding WorldWar I and Mexico-United States relations, in order to understand the possibilities of theidea of a transnational public sphere in a moment in which diverse mechanisms of humaninteraction collided: nationalism, local culture and global forces. The newspapersthat proliferated in Mexico during that time spread information and opinions that connectedlocal circumstances with the world. The performance of this role emerged fromlocal concerns and necessities but was immersed in a global dynamic where newspaperwriters were conscious of belonging to an international whole. The explosive potentialof these opinion flashpoints drew attention in international arenas, thus working as communicativeaction hubs of a fragmented, though transnational, public sphere. Keywords: public sphere, globalization, regionalism, nationalism, journalism