Social change and land tenure regimes in Mexico

This paper argues that the changing land tenure legislation in Mexico is a concrete reflection of generalized societal attitudes towards indigenous and traditional peasants. It contends that the 1992 neoliberal land-reform mimics the progress-oriented liberal project of the nineteenth century and co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:GeoJournal 2012-10, Vol.77 (5), p.633-649
Main Author: HERRERA RODRIGUEZ, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural ecosystems
Agriculture
America
Bgi / Prodig
Economic conditions
Economic growth
Economics
Geology
Human geography
Indigenous peoples
Land reform
Land tenure
Land use
Landowners
Legislation
Mexico and Central America
Modernization
Native peoples
Natural resources
Neoliberalism
North American Free Trade Agreement
Peasants
Political economy
Politics
Privatization
Reforms
Rural areas
Social change
Studies
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Summary:This paper argues that the changing land tenure legislation in Mexico is a concrete reflection of generalized societal attitudes towards indigenous and traditional peasants. It contends that the 1992 neoliberal land-reform mimics the progress-oriented liberal project of the nineteenth century and continues a market-centered modernization process underway since the 1940s, which has been legitimized by an overt institutional disdain and discrimination against indigenous people, peasants and their ways of life. It concludes that this process of assimilation or eradication of traditional agro-ecosystems, cultural diversity and social organization will further increase the vulnerability of Mexican peasants to economic and cultural change. As peasants engage in market-controlled business ventures in the rural areas, migrate to cities, rent or sell their lands, they simultaneously adapt to new values and envision new strategies for subsistence that are increasingly mediated by political-economic forces largely beyond their sphere of influence. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0343-2521
1572-9893
DOI:10.1007/s10708-011-9409-7