Between diplomacy and literature: an analysis of Rosario Castellanos’s diplomatic work in Israel (1971-1974)

Abstract

Rosario Castellanos is one of the main exponents of Mexican literature and poetry of the twentieth century, particularly on issues related to the situation of vulnerability and oppression of women and indigenous peoples. However, her work as an ambassador has been little studied and analyzed. This article seeks to expose the main characteristics, challenges and results of her work as Mexican Ambassador to Israel from 1971 to 1974, as well as to make visible the importance of cultural diplomacy during her tenure. The main sources of information are files from the Genaro Estrada Diplomatic Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, newspaper material, an interview with Ambassador Pedro González Rubio, as well as reprints of her correspondence with Raúl Ortiz y Ortiz and her opinion columns in Excélsior. It will be noted that Castellanos managed to strengthen the Mexico-Israel relationship in a context of war and crisis, through cultural, technical and academic exchange, laying the foundations for a stable and permanent bilateral relationship in the long term.