The Illusion of Civil Society

“Shefner provides a fascinating account of popular sector organizing in a poor Mexican community from 1994 through 2004. This is an important period in Mexico’s history, and Shefner does a splendid job of immersing the reader in his own process of personal engagement and re-engagement with the people he has known for more than ten years. The result is a study that addresses critical issues in Latin American politics today, including the impact of transitions to democracy on civil society and the pervasive endurance of clientelism.” —Philip Oxhorn, McGill University

“This highly readable yet scholarly account of political and social mobilization among low-income irregular settlements in Guadalajara draws upon the author’s fieldwork from the mid-1990s through the present. Shefner successfully weaves the story of urban social movements against the backdrop of Mexico’s democratic opening and strengthening of civil society. The qualitative methodology is especially impressive, making extensive use of participant observation and key informant interviews. An excellent addition to the literature.” —Peter M. Ward, C. B. Smith Centennial Chair in U.S.-Mexico Relations, University of Texas at Austin

“This volume is a finely wrought piece of scholarship that will appeal not only to students of civil society but also to scholars (and critics) of neo-liberalism, globalization, democratization, patron-client relations, and urban transformation in Latin America and other parts of the global south.” —Ebenezer Obadare, Contemporary Sociology