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SUMMARYThis paper analyses the tension present in narratives around 'belonging' in a group of middling Mexican migrants in Madrid, through the analysis of two mythical figures whose stories are determined by their attitudes towards the other: La Malinche and El Jamaicón. The paper argues that both figures are part of the neoliberal governmentality regimes at work in contemporary Mexico, which seek to foster loyalty to the nation state and, at the same time, competitiveness at the global level. While La Malinche has permeated public discourse since the colonial era and represents the shifting attitudes towards hybridization and mix; El Jamaicón is a lesser known contemporary hero who fell from grace when overcome by homesickness, in a world where travel and movement are decisive in the definition of middle class identity. Constantly (re-) produced in public discourse as cautionary tales regarding Mexican attitudes towards the outside world, these figures have come to illustrate the roots and routes of 'Mexican identity'.Key words: Neoliberal Governmentality; Myths; Mexicans; Middling Migrants. RESUMENEl artículo analiza la tensión presente en las narrativas en torno a la 'pertenencia' de un grupo de migrantes de clase media en Madrid, a través del análisis de dos figuras míticas cuyas historias están determinadas por sus actitudes hacia el 'otro': La Malinche y El Jamaicón. El argumento del artículo es que ambas figuras son parte de los regímenes de gubernamentalidad neoliberal en el México contemporáneo, que buscan incentivar lealtad hacia el estado-nación y al mismo tiempo, competitividad a un nivel global. Mientras que La Malinche ha permeado el discurso público desde la época colonial y representa los cambios en las actitudes hacia el mestizaje, el Jamaicón es la figura contemporánea menos conocida de un héroe que cayó en desgracia debido a una profunda nostalgia por el terruño, en un mundo en el que la movilidad determina de manera importante la habilidad de reproducir una identidad de clase media. Estas figuras son ilustrativas de las raíces y los derroteros de la 'identidad mexicana' pues son (re) producidas en el discurso público como moralejas de las actitudes de los mexicanos hacia el exterior.Palabras clave: Gubernamentalidad neoliberal; Mitos; Mexicanos; Migrantes de clase media.

The chapter explores the way in which people under conditions of movement and change deal with plurality in contemporary urban settings by tracing the home-making experiences of a group of Mexican professionals in Madrid (postgraduate students, academics, IT professionals, journalists, and others). While their idea of home aligns discursively within an ideal version of cosmopolitanism (“at home everywhere”), in practice their strategies to feel at home in Madrid show that these privileged movers tend to rely on specific though generic places characterized by their homogenizing tendencies, such as hotel chains, generic coffee places and airports, to achieve a feeling of home.

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