Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Nation, the Public, and the Transformation of Mexican Politics

为了理解一个民主国家的现代政治动态，人们可以从不同的角度来看待政治活动。一组观点与“国家”和“城邦”之间的关系以及这种关系的变化方式有关。国家和城邦意味着它们的社区成员之间的政治关系非常不同。国家指的是一个由共同的历史、文化和被认为是独特的一套价值观联系在一起的社区；这是一个不能轻易吸纳不具有这些特点的成员的社区。相比之下，城邦意味着一个由一系列共同的政治原则联结在一起的共同体，这些原则包括一个多元化的公共领域；如果新成员不论其身份或其他特点如何，能够坚持这些政治原则，就可以纳入联合国。目前关于民主理论的理论假设，向民主的过渡涉及从国家到城邦的运动，但在实践中，这种关系从未如此明确。这个博士论文研究项目侧重于国家和城邦之间的关系，作为理解当代墨西哥政治转型的一种方式。将特别注意政治活动的规模和空间的变化。这项研究将通过在非常不同的区域背景下对两个城市地点进行比较研究来完成：墨西哥北部的蒙特雷和南部的瓦哈卡。密集的实地工作将在两个地点进行，时间跨度为十个月。将采用的方法包括档案研究和访谈以及涉及政治和公民领袖的焦点小组。这项研究将对墨西哥在2000年面临关键的总统选举时的民主转型进行深入分析。它还将制定一种具体的地理方法来评价民主化和巩固民主的进程。虽然这些理论见解最初集中在墨西哥，但对于评估其他国家的当代民主进程，特别是那些似乎经常导致社会分裂和国家解体的力量，也将具有价值。作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立一个强大的独立研究生涯。

In order to understand the modern political dynamics of a democratic nation, one can view political activities from different perspectives. One set of perspectives is associated with the relationship between "the nation" and "the polis" and the ways in which this relationship is changing. Nation and polis imply very different political relationships between and among their community members. Nation implies a community bound together by a shared history, culture, and set of values that is considered unique; it is a community that cannot easily incorporate members that do not share these particular characteristics. A polis, by contrast, implies a community bound together by a shared set of political principles that include a pluralistic public sphere; new members can be incorporated if they are able to adhere to those political principles, regardless of their identity or other characteristics. Current theory about democracy theory assumes that the transition to democracy involves a movement from nation to polis, but in practice, the relationship is never so clear-cut. This doctoral dissertation research project focuses on the relationship between the nation and polis as a way of understanding political transitions in contemporary Mexico. Special attention will be given to changes in the scales and spaces of political activity. This research will be accomplished through a comparative study of two urban locations in very different regional contexts: Monterrey in northern Mexico and Oaxaca in the south. Intensive fieldwork will be conducted in both locations over a ten-month time span. Methods to be used include archival research and interviews and focus groups involving political and civic leaders. This research will provide an in-depth analysis of the democratic transition as Mexico faces a pivotal presidential election in 2000. It also will develop a specifically geographic approach for evaluating the processes of democratization and democratic consolidation. While focused initially on Mexico, these theoretical insights also will be valuable for evaluating contemporary democratic processes in other nations, especially forces that often seem to be leading to social fragmentation and national disintegration. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.