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Power, Community And The State: The Political Anthropology of Organisation in Mexi (Anthropology, Culture and Society) PDF

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Nuijten 00 prelims 11/2/03 10:09 Page iii POWER, COMMUNITY AND THE STATE The Political Anthropology of Organisation in Mexico MONIQUENUIJTEN P Pluto Press LONDON • STERLING, VIRGINIA Nuijten 00 prelims 11/2/03 10:09 Page iv First published 2003 by PLUTO PRESS 345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA and 22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166–2012, USA www.plutobooks.com Copyright © Monique Nuijten 2003 The right of Monique Nuijten to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0 7453 1947 5 hardback ISBN 0 7453 1946 7 paperback Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Nuijten, Monique. Power, community and the state : the political anthropology of organisation in Mexico / Monique Nuijten. p. cm. –– (Anthropology, culture, and society) ISBN 0–7453–1947–5 (hbk) –– ISBN 0–7453–1946–7 (pbk) 1. La Canoa (Jalisco, Mexico)––Politics and government. 2. Ejidos––Mexico––La Canoa (Jalisco) 3. Political anthropology––Mexico. I. Title. II. Series. JS2120.L2 N84 2003 320.972'35––dc21 2003002322 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Designed and produced for Pluto Press by Chase Publishing Services, Fortescue, Sidmouth EX10 9QG, England Typeset from disk by Stanford DTP Services, Towcester, England Printedand bound intheEuropeanUnionby Antony Rowe, Chippenham and Eastbourne, England Nuijten 00 prelims 11/2/03 10:09 Page v CONTENTS 1 AN ANTHROPOLOGY OF POWER AND THE STATE 1 Introduction: anthropology and the state 1 A study of state processes through peasant communities in Mexico 4 A fascination with power and conspiracy 6 Organising practices and force fields 10 Three dimensions of the state 15 The creation of a multi-sited, reflexive ethnography 19 2 FACTIONALISM AND FAMILY AFTER THE AGRARIAN REFORM 26 Introduction: Cacicazgoand factionalism in Mexico 26 Agrarian struggle and land reform in the valley of Autlán 27 Land, power and party politics 32 Ejidatarios and their landless neighbours 34 Land and local politics 36 A glimpse of present-day life in La Canoa 41 Factions and the kinship idiom 42 Conclusion: a globalised situated community 46 3 POLITICS AND LOCAL ORGANISATION 48 Introduction: organisation and organising practices 48 Ejido administration and the role of the commissioner 49 Meetings as arenas of bickering and indecisive confrontation 51 The force fields of ejido organising practices 54 The unpopularity of formal positions 60 Contrasting discourses of organisation 63 Conclusion: alternative forms of governance and accountability 67 4 ILLEGALITY AND THE LAW 70 Introduction: a shadow world of illegal practices 70 A basic contradiction in the agrarian law 71 Nuijten 00 prelims 11/2/03 10:09 Page vi vi Power, Community and the State Migration and the renting out of land: a risky endeavour 74 The inheritance of land and the law 77 Organising practices within an illegal land market 82 A famous land conflict in La Canoa 84 Conclusion: multiple force fields and the role of the law 88 5 THE LOST LAND I: THE PRIEST AND THE LAWYER 91 Introduction: land conflicts and the ‘idea of the state’ 91 Predicament of the conflict and obscure enemies 93 Story-telling, maps and murders 97 Resuming the fight against the Pequeñosin 1991 99 The struggle begins: licenciadoSalazar 102 More dealings with Salazar and growing doubts 110 Shifting constellations and individual frustrations 112 Conclusion: the labyrinthine bureaucratic machine 115 6 THE LOST LAND II: THE SURVEYORS 119 Introduction: the ‘desiring machine’ 119 The SRA surveyor Serrano arriving in the village 120 A new broker: the gatekeeper in Mexico City 124 The priest visiting the head of the SRA in Guadalajara 128 The second surveyor: Castañeda 132 Distrust, conspiracy and dealing with contradictory information 136 About maps and other ‘hard data’ 138 The third surveyor to arrive at the ejido: Morales 142 Conclusion: modern myths and the culture of the state 148 7 INSIDE THE ‘HOPE-GENERATING MACHINE’ 152 Introduction: the world of the officials 152 The interrelation between politics and the bureaucracy 153 Getting access to the bureaucratic lifeworld 155 Officials dealing with a politicised bureaucracy 158 A new institute and officials fighting corruption 161 Officials and ambiguous institutional environments 164 Conclusion: officials in a world of contradiction 172 8 DEVELOPMENT DISCOURSES AND PARTICIPATORY APPROACHES 176 Introduction: a top-down imposition of participation 176 Organisation and participation in the development debate 176 The IER programme in a new institutional environment 179 Nuijten 00 prelims 11/2/03 10:09 Page vii Contents vii Intervention and rituals of resistance 184 The myth of the ‘modern’, ‘accountable’ organisation 189 Conclusion: deconstructing the myths in the development debate 191 9 CORRUPTION, ORDER AND THE IDEA OF THE STATE 194 Introduction: Power in multiple force fields 194 Fantasy and the culture of the state 196 The hope-generating machine and its dividing effects 198 Corruption and the underworld of rituals 200 The continuing importance of the idea of the state 206 Notes 209 References 212 Index 221 Nuijten 00 prelims 11/2/03 10:09 Page viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Iamindebtedtomanypeoplewhohavemadethisworkpossibleand whohavebecomedearfriends.Firstandforemost,Iwanttoexpressmy gratitudetothepeopleofLaCanoawhoreceivedmeandmyfamilywith somuchhospitality.Iamgratefulfortheirpatienceandtheirwillingness tocooperateeventhoughtheyoftenwonderedwhyIneededsomuch timetowritethe ‘simplehistory’oftheirejido.Theneedtoprotecttheir identitiesmeansthatIunfortunatelycannotthankthemwiththeirreal namesandthatIusethenamesthatIhavegiventheminthebook.Iam mostgratefultoLorenzoRomeroandMaríaLomelíwhowere‘ourfamily inMexico’.Theyandtheirchildrenhelpedusinmanydifferentways. LupeMedinabecameadearfriendwhoconfidedmanydetailsofherlife tomeandhelpedmeunderstandtheimportanceoflandforamother whosawherchildren,oneafteranother,leavefortheUnitedStates. SalvadorLagoswasaveryinspiringmanwhoenjoyedrelatinghistories oftheejido.HetookgreatinterestinthewritingofthisbookandIam sadthatheisnolongeraroundtoseetheworkcompleted.Iamindebted toIginioNúñezandRamónRomerofortheirenormouspatienceand theirinterestintheproblemsoftheejidowithoutwhichIcouldnothave writtenthisbook.IwouldalsoliketothankManuelPradera,Benita Romero,andIginioNúñez’swifeAdelmaGodínezforthemanypleasant gatheringswehadtogetherwiththem.AliciaHernándezandJoaquin Núñez helped me with the elaboration of a census of La Canoa and genealogies of families and plots of land in the ejido. They were two young people who showed great interest in the history of their own villagebeingwrittenandthemanydiscussionsIhadwiththemhelped metodevelopmyideas.AlthoughIsometimesfeltuncomfortablewhen presentingdetailsoftheprivatelivesofseveralfamiliesofLaCanoa,I hopethattheethnographyexpressesthegreatregardandaffectionIfeel forthem. Gregorio Rivera, a regional historian in Autlán, and his wife Cristina were great hosts and inspiring dialoguers. I am indebted to Ignacio Gómez, the regional historian of El Grullo, and his wife Rosa for their viii Nuijten 00 prelims 11/2/03 10:09 Page ix Acknowledgements ix friendship, our pleasant gatherings, and the many insights they offered us into regional politics. I also owe much to many officials of government institutes, with whom I established pleasant relationships. In the region I want to thank especially the officials of the SARH office in El Grullo, of the promotoríaof the Secretaría de la Reforma Agraria in Autlán and of the Procuraduría Agraria in Autlán. In Mexico City I especially wish to express my gratitude to officials of the headquarters of the Procuraduría Agraria for offering an open dialogue when they had just started their work and were developing new programmes for the ejido sector. In 1994 and 1995 I worked at the anthropology department of El Colegio de Michoacán, which was a valuable experience. I would like to thank especially Andy Roth for his friendship and his valuable suggestions and critique on my work. With Sergio Zendejas and Gail Mummert I share a fine relationship. Sergio was a great ally in my struggle to approach the ejido and the Mexican state from different theoretical angles. Other friends at El Colegio are Brigitte Boehm, Pepe Lameiras, Rafael and Elena Diego, Marco Antonio Calderón, Eduardo Zarate, Esteban Barragán and Cristina Monzón. David Myhre invited me to the Ejido Reform Research Project, and in this way offered me a forum to discuss my ideas and enter into debate with prominent academics. A special thanks to John Gledhill, Gavin Smith and Raymond Buve for their continuous encouragement over the years. Their critical comments on several of my presentations and writings were extremely helpful for developing my ideas. The conversa- tions with Rob Aitken have also been very useful. This book was produced in two stages. First as a PhD dissertation in sociology of rural development at Wageningen University. I thank the Netherlands Foundation for the Advancement of Tropical Research (WOTRO) for the scholarship for the PhD research and for their flexibility in adapting their procedures to personal situations. Second, the disser- tation was thoroughly revised for publication. The Netherlands Academy of the Arts and Sciences (KNAW) made it possible for me to continue my research in Mexico and develop the theoretical ideas that are presented in this book. I want to thank Norman Long for his great inspiration as head of the department of rural development sociology at Wageningen University for many years. If it was not for his stimulating lectures and fresh theoretical ideas, I doubt that I would have continued my career in the sociology of rural development. I specially want to mention Jan den Ouden, who has always been a great support in personal and professional ways. With Gerard Verschoor I share many experiences in Wageningen and Mexico as a colleague and a special friend. Jos Michel was a great Nuijten 00 prelims 11/2/03 10:09 Page x x Power, Community and the State support during all those years that she has been a central figure at the administration of the department. I thank Leontine Visser, who has taken over the position as head of the department, for creating a stimulating and supportive academic environment. A special word of thanks to Franz and Keebet von Benda-Beckmann who have been dear friends since they introduced me to the field of legal anthropology. I still remember the visit they made to La Canoa and the long discussions we had at that time. I feel fortunate that our discussions and exchange of ideas have never stopped. However, most of all, my gratitude goes out to Pieter and our twin daughters Alicia and Liliana. Pieter generously unleashed his critical skills on each version of the book and was the most critical, but also the most enthusiastic reader. I am eternally grateful for the support and encouragement that he has shown me in so many different ways. Our daughters Alicia and Liliana greatly enriched our lives. Born during our years in Costa Rica, Alicia and Liliana then accompanied us to reside in La Canoa and frequently travelled between Jalisco, Michoacán, and Holland. I am afraid that travelling has become part of their identity. I dedicate this book to them and Pieter. Monique Nuijten Utrecht, the Netherlands April 2003 Nuijten 00 prelims 11/2/03 10:09 Page xi To Pieter, Alicia and Liliana

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