The Effects of Truth: Re-Presentations of the Past and the Imagining of Community

Abstract Social memory is integral to the creation of social meaning; representations of the past are central to the symbolic constitution of social groups and social identities. This paper examines the production of effects of truth and power in both official and popular historical discourses in Mexico and demonstrates how representations of the past configure the imagining of community (social memory; official/popular historical discourses; nationalism: revolution; hegemony; Mexico).