Everyday Forms of State Formation : Revolution and the Negotiation of Rule in Modern Mexico

__Everyday Forms of State Formation__ is the first book to systematically examine the relationship between popular cultures and state formation in revolutionary and post-revolutionary Mexico. While most accounts have emphasized either the role of peasants and peasant rebellions __or__ that of state formation in Mexico’s past, these original essays reveal the state’s day-to-day engagement with grassroots society by examining popular cultures and forms of the state simultaneously and in relation to one another. Structured in the form of a dialogue between a distinguished array of Mexicanists and comparative social theorists, this volume boldly reassesses past analyses of the Mexican revolution and suggests new directions for future study. Showcasing a wealth of original archival and ethnographic research, this collection provides a new and deeper understanding of Mexico’s revolutionary experience. It also speaks more broadly to a problem of extraordinary contemporary relevance: the manner in which local societies and self-proclaimed "revolutionary" states are articulated historically. The result is a unique collection bridging social history, anthropology, historical sociology, and cultural studies in its formulation of new approaches for rethinking the multifaceted relationship between power, culture, and resistance.__Contributors__. Ana María Alonso, Armando Bartra, Marjorie Becker, Barry Carr, Philip Corrigan, Romana Falcón, Gilbert M. Joseph, Alan Knight, Florencia E. Mallon, Daniel Nugent, Elsie Rockwell, William Roseberry, Jan Rus, Derek Sayer, James C. Scott State Formation / Philip Corrigan -- Popular Culture And State Formation In Revolutionary Mexico / Gilbert M. Joseph And Daniel Nugent -- Weapons And Arches In The Mexican Revolutionary Landscape / Alan Knight -- Reflections On The Ruins : Everyday Forms Of State Formation In Nineteenth-century Mexico / Florencia E. Mallon -- Force And The Search For Consent : The Role Of The Jefaturas Políticas Of Coahuila In National State Formation / Romana Falcón -- Rethinking Mexican Revolutionary Mobilization : Yucatán's Seasons Of Upheaval, 1909-1915 / Gilbert M. Joseph -- Schools Of The Revolution : Enacting And Contesting State Forms In Tlaxcala, 1910-1930 / Elsie Rockwell -- Multiple Selective Traditions In Agrarian Reform And Agrarian Struggle : Popular Culture And State Formation In The Ejido Of Namiquipa, Chihuahua / Daniel Nugent And Ana María Alonso. Torching La Purísima, Dancing At The Altar : The Construction Of Revolutionary Hegemony In Michoacán, 1934-1940 / Marjorie Becker -- The Comunidad Revolucionaria Institucional : The Subversion Of Native Government In Highland Chiapas, 1936-1968 / Jan Rus -- The Seduction Of The Innocents : The First Tumultuous Moments Of Mass Literacy In Postrevolutionary Mexico / Armando Bartra -- The Fate Of The Vanguard Under A Revolutionary State : Marxism's Contribution To The Construction Of The Great Arch / Barry Carr -- Hegemony And The Language Of Contention / William Roseberry -- Everyday Forms Of State Formation ; Some Dissident Remarks On Hegemony / Derek Sayer. Edited By Gilbert M. Joseph And Daniel Nugent. Based On Papers Presented At An International Conference Held At The Center For U.s.-mexican Studies In 1991. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 382-412) And Index. Everyday Forms of State Formation is the first book to systematically examine the relationship between popular cultures and state formation in revolutionary and post-revolutionary Mexico. While most accounts have emphasized either the role of peasants and peasant rebellions or that of state formation in Mexico’s past, these original essays reveal the state’s day-to-day engagement with grassroots society by examining popular cultures and forms of the state simultaneously and in relation to one another. Structured in the form of a dialogue between a distinguished array of Mexicanists and comparative social theorists, this volume boldly reassesses past analyses of the Mexican revolution and suggests new directions for future study. Showcasing a wealth of original archival and ethnographic research, this collection provides a new and deeper understanding of Mexico’s revolutionary experience. It also speaks more broadly to a problem of extraordinary contemporary relevance: the manner in which local societies and self-proclaimed "revolutionary" states are articulated historically. The result is a unique collection bridging social history, anthropology, historical sociology, and cultural studies in its formulation of new approaches for rethinking the multifaceted relationship between power, culture, and resistance. Contributors . Ana María Alonso, Armando Bartra, Marjorie Becker, Barry Carr, Philip Corrigan, Romana Falcón, Gilbert M. Joseph, Alan Knight, Florencia E. Mallon, Daniel Nugent, Elsie Rockwell, William Roseberry, Jan Rus, Derek Sayer, James C. Scott What happens to a revolutionary town after the revolution? This apparently simple question frames Spent Cartridges of Revolution, an anthropological history of Namiquipa, Chihuahua, Mexico. Officially, the revolution of 1910-20 restored control over land and local politics to the peasantry. But Namiquipan peasants, who fought alongside Pancho Villa, have seen little progress and consider themselves mere "spent cartridges" of a struggle that benefited other classes. Daniel Nugent's approach combines an emphasis on peasants' own perceptions of Mexican society after the revolution with an analysis of the organization and formation of state power. He shows that popular discontent in Chihuahua is motivated not only by immediate economic crises but by two centuries of struggle between the people of Northern Mexico and the government. A central feature of the Mexican and Latin American past has been the continuing tension between emergent popular cultures and processes of state formation.