The controversies over Clipperton Island seen through Mexican and French newspapers during the ‘Porfiriato’

Abstract

Clipperton Island – a.k.a. Pasión Island or Médanos Island – is a small atoll in the Pacific Ocean that has aroused the interest of various specialists in recent decades. The purpose of this text is to review the dispute over this island as seen by Mexican and French newspapers from their respective capitals, during the government of President Porfirio Díaz. As such, the 'Clipperton case' is framed within a historical period that witnessed various political-diplomatic controversies. Here, I identified and compared narratives, controversies, and impact on public opinion from both the Mexican and French press. In this way, I explain how this atoll was semantically represented and the implications that this historical moment had in social political spheres.