Transformaciones de la categoría “independiente” en el campo editorial mexicano (siglo XX-XXI)

Transformations of the Category ‘Independent’ Category in the Mexican Publishing Field (20th-21st centuries)

Abstract

Throughout the 20th century, the Mexican publishing field took shape as a social space influenced by the State, the market, and so-called “independent” publishers. This article traces the use and transformation of the notion of editorial independence through an analysis of key cultural magazines and supplements: Revista de la Universidad de México, La cultura en México, Plural, Vuelta, Nexos, and Letras Libres. The study identifies three key moments: a) from the 1930s to 1965, when the Fondo de Cultura Económica represented an autonomous state project; b) after 1965, when state interference redefined independence as a stance against government control; c) from the mid-1990s to the present, when, in a context of publishing concentration, being independent means resisting market-driven logics, even as many publishers maintain ties with the State through co-publishing initiatives or public funding programs.