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The Illusion of Civil Society
Democratization and Community Mobilization in Low-Income Mexico
240 pages | 22 illustrations | 6 x 9 | 2008
ISBN 978-0-271-03384-6 | cloth: $55.00 sh
Paperback edition is not available in the U.S.
2009 Honorable Mention - Global Division of the Society for the Study of Social Problems' Best Book Award.
“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 to 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
Much has been written about how civil society challenges authoritarian governments and helps lead the way to democratization. These studies show that neoliberal economic policies have harmed many sectors of society, weakening the state and undermining clientelistic relationships that previously provided material benefits to middle-and low-income citizens, who are then motivated to organize coalitions to work for greater social justice and equality. Recognizing this important role played by civil society organizations, Jon Shefner goes further and analyzes the variegated nature of the interests represented in these coalitions, arguing that the differences among civil society actors are at least as important as their similarities in explaining how they function and what success, or lack thereof, they have experienced.
Through an ethnographic examination extending over a decade, Shefner tells the story of how a poor community on the urban fringe of Guadalajara mobilized through an organization called the Union de Colonos Independientes (UCI) to work for economic improvement with the support of Jesuits inspired by liberation theology. Yet Mexico's successful formal democratic transition won with the elections in 2000 was followed by the dissolution of the coalition. Neither political access for the urban poor, nor its material well—being, has increased with democratization. The unity and even the concept of civil society thus turned out to be an illusion.
Jon Shefner is Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Interdisciplinary Program in Global Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.