Dissertation Research: Collective Action and Popular Culture in Urban Mexico

这个项目涉及一位来自纽约大学的人类学学生的论文研究，他在墨西哥城的一个下层社区研究政治领导。 该项目的重点是改变领导风格，从向追随者提供普遍支持的老式“酋长”或强人风格，转变为更现代化的、以问题为导向的集体行动领导人。 通过对集体民众运动中的领导人和行动者的深入访谈，对社会运动的参与者观察，当地运动的口述历史，以及对两个社区的调查，学生将检验这样一个假设，即正式的革命制度党失去政治控制与当地政治领导风格从强人到民众领袖的转变有关。 这项研究很重要，因为它将促进我们对我们邻国首都如何解决地方问题的理解。 墨西哥正在经历快速的政治变革，这个项目将揭示这种变革是如何在工人阶级社区的街道上实现的。 这些信息将对社会科学家和政策制定者感兴趣，他们需要了解墨西哥政府制定具体政策的原因。

This project involves the dissertation research of an anthropology student from New York University studying political leadership in a Mexico City lower class neighborhood. The project will focus on the change of leadership style from the old-fashioned `cacique` or strong-man style who provides generalized support to followers, to a more contemporary narrowly-focused issues-oriented leader of collective action. Using in-depth interviews of leaders and actors in collective popular movements , participant-observation of social movements, oral histories of local movements, and a survey of two neighborhoods the student will test the hypothesis that the loss of political control by the official PRI party is associated with a changeover in local political leadership style from strong-man to popular leader. This research is important because is will advance our understanding of how local issues are resolved in the capital city of our close neighboring country. Mexico is undergoing rapid political change, and this project will shed light on how that change is being lived out on the streets of working class neighborhoods. The information will be of interest to social scientists as well as policy makers who need to understand why the Mexican government institutes specific policies.