Pan-Americanism re-invented in Uncle Sam's backyard: Catholic and Latin identity in French Canada and Mexico in the first half of the 20th century

This dissertation reveals how and why groups from Mexico's and Quebec's civil societies actively sought to establish close cultural and political linkages at the turn of the 1940s. Based on extensive research in governmental, religious, and university archives in Mexico and Canada, it constructs for the first time how various stakeholders outside official diplomatic circles attempted to influence these countries' relations during the Second World War. This conflict represented a turning point in North America, as Canada acquired a new international status, Mexico turned over a new leaf on conflicting social relations with Catholic groups, and both countries reconfigured their ties to the United States. On the margins of that scenario, French Canadian nationalists and Catholic militants in Mexico tried to make geopolitical relations more favourable to their sociocultural struggles. They lobbied for a rapprochement between Canada and Mexico and were able to build broad alliances despite wartime restrictions in part because they put on display their privileged Connections with international dignitaries at a time when a new world order was in the balance. I use a series of case studies involving transnational ties to demonstrate this point. Analysing the balls and congresses organised by the Union des Latins d'Amerique in Montreal, students' and dignitaries' visits at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and Universite de Montreal, and the character of the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe's crowning in Mexico City along with the significance of Cardinal Villeneuve's legation for this golden jubilee, I argue that the organisers of these events used them to showcase the role political minorities could play in the establishment of good connections with diplomatic partners. In some ways, the individuals who arranged these encounters attempted to influence the national balance of power by positioning themselves as key actors on the scene of pan-American affairs. Overall, this dissertation shows how ideas about foreign linkages sometimes start with local concerns, and how identities are contextual and malleable---even for persons defending the uniqueness of a specific cultural heritage.