The mestizo nation unbound: dual citizenship of Euro-Mexicans and U.S.-Mexicans.

Since Mexico's recognition of dual citizenship for its nationals in 1998, a vast and growing collective of Mexicans with dual U.S. or European Union (EU) citizenship has emerged. While the majority of dual U.S.-Mexicans are associated with low socioeconomic status of rural origins, of mixed race (mestizo) or indigenous background, dual EU-Mexicans are mostly affluent individuals of European descent seeking EU passports for enhanced mobility, travel, education and business opportunities across the World. This paper gathers empirical evidence through in-depth interviews in Mexico, the U.S. and the UK, together with an analysis of secondary data sources. It proposes a typology of Mexican dual citizens, across various geographic regions, socioeconomic groups and social practices. The expansion of Mexican dual citizenship reveals the cracks in the Mexican nation-building project, in defiance of the concept of a homogenous 'mestizo' nation that was promoted after the 1910 revolution, and remained crystallised in the national conscience for decades. Through complex transnational and multiple citizenship practices, this vast collective of Mexican dual citizens poses a number of contradictions for the future of the Mexican nation state, with important implications for citizenship policy in the Americas and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]