Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T21:09:05.276Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Religious Institutions and Collective Action: The Catholic Church and Political Activism in Indigenous Chiapas and Yucatán

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2017

Christopher W. Hale
Christopher W. Hale*
Affiliation:
University of Alabama
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Christopher W. Hale, University of Alabama, Department of Political Science, 739 University Blvd., Box 870213. Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. E-mail: [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Why do religious organizations facilitate secular political activism in some settings but not others? I contend that where religious institutions are characterized by decentralized local governance, they are more likely to facilitate political activism. Drawing on nine months of field research and 60 interviews, I conduct a qualitative comparison between the Mexican states of Chiapas and Yucatán. I argue Chiapas exhibits highly decentralized governance by the Catholic Church whereas Yucatán exhibits centralized clerical management. This difference accounts for why Chiapas experiences high levels of indigenous political activism while Yucatán experiences very little political activism.

Type
Articles
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 11 , Issue 1 , March 2018 , pp. 27 - 54
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

I would like to extend my gratitude to Professors Carolyn Warner, Michael Hechter, David Siroky, Magda Hinojosa, Reed Wood, Stephen Walker, Thorin Wright, Paul Djupe, Andrea Molle, Laurence Iannaccone, Christopher Bader, Christopher Butler, Rosario Aguilar, Rafaela Dancygier, Sean Mueller, and several anonymous reviewers. I also appreciate feedback from participants at the First Annual Graduate Student Workshop of the Institute for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Society at Chapman University as well as participants at the 2014 Midwest Political Science Association Conference. Additionally, I appreciate feedback from various participants at the 2015 Ethnic and Religious Conflict Conference. Finally, I would like to convey my thanks to faculty and staff at the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, including Dr. Luis Várguez Pasos, Dr. Francisco J. Fernández Repetto, and Lic. Gabriela Quintal Avilés. I also wish to thank my research assistants, Laura Carrillo, Amra Morquecho, Alma Medina, and Jasset Puc. I particularly want to express my gratitude to all of my interview respondents. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number 1159485, the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, and both the Graduate and Professional Student Association and the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University.

References

REFERENCES

Agrawal, Arun, and Ostrom, Elinor. 2001. “Collective Action, Property Rights, and Decentralization in Resource Use in India and Nepal.” Politics and Society 29:485–514.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andersson, Krister P., and Ostrom, Elinor. 2008. “Analyzing Decentralized Resource Regimes from a Polycentric Perspective.” Policy Sciences 41:71–93.Google Scholar
Baños, Othón. 1988. “Los Nuevos Campesinos de Mexico. El Caso de Yucatán (The New Peasants of Mexico).” Estudios Sociológicos 6:309–335.Google Scholar
Berman, Eli. 2011. Radical, Religious, and Violent: The New Economics of Terrorism. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Betances, Emilio. 2007. The Catholic Church and Power Politics in Latin America: The Dominican Case in Comparative Perspective. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc.Google Scholar
Camp, Roderic Ai. 1997. Crossing Swords: Politics and Religion in Mexico. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CDI. 2000. “INI-CONAPO: Estimaciones de la Población Indígena, a Partir de la Base de Datos Del XII Censo General de la Población y Vivienda 2000, INEGI”. (INI-CONAPO: Estimates of the Indigenous Population, from the Database of the Twelfth General Population and Housing Census, INEGI). Comisión Nacional Para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas. (La Ciudad de México).Google Scholar
Chand, Vikram. 2001. Mexico's Political Awakening. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.Google Scholar
Cheney, David M. 2015. “Hierarchy of the Catholic Church.” www.catholic-hierarchy.org (Accessed on June 2015).Google Scholar
Cheng, Tun-Jen, and Brown, Deborah A.. 2006. “Introduction: The Roles of Religious Organizations in Asian Democratization.” In Religious Organizations and Democratization: Case Studies from Contemporary Asia, eds. Cheng, Tun-Jen, and Brown, Deborah. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.Google Scholar
Cocom, Juan Castillo. 2005. “‘It Was Simply Their Word’: Yucatec Maya PRInces in YucaPAN and the Politics of Respect.” Critique of Anthropology 25:131–155.Google Scholar
Cohen, Nissim, and Arieli, Tamar. 2011. “Field Research in Conflict Environments: Methodological Challenges and Snowball Sampling.” Journal of Peace Research 48:423–435.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Collier, George A., and Quaratiello, Elizabeth Lowery. 1999. Basta! Land and the Zapatista Rebellion in Chiapas. Oakland, CA: Food First Books.Google Scholar
Diggles, Michelle Eileen. 2008. “Popular Response to Neoliberal Reform: The Political Configuration of Property Rights in Two Ejidos in Yucatán, Mexico.” Ph.D. diss. University of Oregon.Google Scholar
Djupe, Paul A., and Gilbert, Christopher P.. 2002. “The Political Voice of Clergy.” The Journal of Politics 64:596–609.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Djupe, Paul A., and Gilbert, Christopher P.. 2006. “The Resourceful Believer: Generating Civic Skills in Church.” The Journal of Politics 68:116–127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Djupe, Paul A., and Olson, Laura R.. 2013. “Public Deliberation about Gay Rights in Religious Contexts: Commitment to Deliberative Norms and Practice in ELCA Congregations.” Journal of Public Deliberation 9:1–35.Google Scholar
Dow, James W. 2005. “The Growth of Protestant Religions in Mexico and Central America.” Presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Annual Meeting 2003, Norfolk.Google Scholar
Eisenstadt, Todd A. 2011. Politics, Identity, and Mexico's Indigenous Rights Movements. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Floyd, Charlene J. 1996. “A Theology of Insurrection? Religion and Politics in Mexico.” Journal of International Affairs 50:142–165.Google Scholar
George, Alexander L., and Bennett, Andrew. 2005. Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences. Cambridge, MA: Belfer Center for Sciences and International Affairs at Harvard University.Google Scholar
Gerring, John. 2007. Case Study Research: Principles and Practices. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Gill, Anthony. 1998. Rendering unto Caesar: The Catholic Church and the State in Latin America. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Gill, Anthony. 2001. “Religion and Comparative Politics.” Annual Review of Political Science 4:117–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grzymala-Busse, Anna. 2012. “Why Comparative Politics Should Take Religion (More) Seriously.” Annual Review of Political Science 15:421–442.Google Scholar
Harvey, Neil. 1998. The Chiapas Rebellion: The Struggle for Land and Democracy. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.Google Scholar
Hechter, Michael. 1987. Principles of Group Solidarity. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Castillo, Hernández, Aída, Rosalva, and Nigh, Ronald. 1998. “Global Processes and Local Identity among Mayan Coffee Growers in Chiapas, Mexico.” American Anthropologist 100:141–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hudson, Mark, and Hudson, Ian. 2004. “Justice, Sustainability, and the Fair Trade Movement: A Case Study of Coffee Production in Chiapas.” Social Justice 31:130–146.Google Scholar
Iannaccone, Laurence R., and Berman, Eli. 2006. “Religious Extremism: The Good, the Bad, and the Deadly.” Public Choice 128:109–129.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalyvas, Stathis N. 1996. The Rise of Christian Democracy in Europe. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Keohane, Robert O. 2010. “Review Symposium: Beyond the Tragedy of the Commons.” Perspectives on Politics 8:577–580.Google Scholar
Klaiber, Jeffrey S.J. 1998. The Church, Dictatorships, and Democracy in Latin America. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.Google Scholar
Kovic, Christine. 2004. “Mayan Catholics in Chiapas, Mexico: Practicing the Faith on their Own Terms.” In Resurgent Voices in Latin America: Indigenous Peoples, Political Mobilization, and Religious Change, eds. Cleary, Edward L., and Steigenga, Timothy J.. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.Google Scholar
Kovic, Christine. 2005. Mayan Voices for Human Rights: Displaced Catholics in Highland Chiapas. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.Google Scholar
Leech, Beth L. 2002. “Asking Questions: Techniques for Semistructured Interviews.” PS: Political Science and Politics 354:665–668.Google Scholar
Levine, Daniel H. 1988. “Assessing the Impacts of Liberation Theology in Latin America.” The Review of Politics 50:241–263.Google Scholar
Mahoney, James. 2010. “After KKV: The New Methodology of Qualitative Research.” World Politics 62:120–147.Google Scholar
Mainwaring, Scott, and Wilde, Alexander. 1989. “The Progressive Church in Latin America: An Interpretation.” In The Progressive Church in Latin America, eds. Mainwaring, Scott, and Wilde, Alexander. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.Google Scholar
Marshall, Martin N. 1996. “Sampling for Qualitative Research.” Family Practice 13:522–525.Google Scholar
Mattiace, Shannan L. 2003. To See with Two Eyes: Peasant Activism & Indian Autonomy in Chiapas, Mexico. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press.Google Scholar
Mattiace, Shannan L. 2009. “Ethnic Mobilization among the Maya of Yucatán.” Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies 4:137–169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAdam, Doug. 1982. Political Process and the Development of Black Insurgency, 1930–1970. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
McAdam, Doug, McCarthy, John D., and Zald, Mayer N.. 1996. “Introduction: Opportunities, Mobilizing Structures, and Framing Processes: Toward a Synthetic, Comparative Perspective on Social Movements.” In Comparative Perspectives on Social Movements, eds. McAdam, Doug, McCarthy, John D., and Zald, Mayer N.. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
McBride, Michael. 2007. “Club Mormon: Free-Riders, Monitoring, and Exclusion in the LDS Church” Rationality and Society 19.Google Scholar
Ostrom, Elinor. 1990. Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Ostrom, Elinor. 2007. “Collective Action Theory.” In The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Politics, eds. Boix, Carles, and Stokes, Susan C.. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Pfaff, Steven, and Gill, Anthony J.. 2006. “Will a Million Muslims March? Muslim Interest Organizations and Political Integration in Europe.” Comparative Political Studies 39:803–828.Google Scholar
Philpott, Daniel. 2007. “Explaining the Political Ambivalence of Religion.” The American Political Science Review 101:505–525.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Planas, Ricardo. 1986. Liberation Theology: The Political Expression of Religion. Kansas City, KS: Sheed and Ward.Google Scholar
Prokopy, Joshua, and Smith, Christian. 1999. “Introduction.” In Latin American Religion in Motion. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Putnam, Robert D. 1993. Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Raynolds, Laura T., Murray, Douglas, and Taylor, Peter Leigh. 2004. “Fair Trade Coffee: Building Producer Capacity via Global Networks.” Journal of International Development 16:1109–1121.Google Scholar
Rus, Jan, Castillo, Rosalva Aída Hernández, Mattiace, Shannan, and García, José Alejos. 2003. “Introduction.” In Mayan Lives, Mayan Utopias: The Indigenous Peoples of Chiapas and the Zapatista Rebellion, eds. Rus, Jan, Castillo, Rosalva Aída Hernández, and Mattiace, Shannan L.. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.Google Scholar
Rydin, Yvonne, and Pennington, Mark. 2000. “Public Participation and Local Environmental Planning: The Collective Action Problem and the Potential of Social Capital.” Local Environment 5:153–169.Google Scholar
Seawright, Jason, and Gerring, John. 2008. “Case Selection Techniques in Case Study Research: A Menu of Qualitative and Quantitative Options.” Political Research Quarterly 61:294–308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, Christian. 1991. The Emergence of Liberation Theology: Radical Religion and Social Movement Theory. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Snow, David A., Rochford, E. Burke Jr., Worden, Steven K., and Benford, Robert D.. 1986. “Frame Alignment Processes, Micromobilization, and Movement Participation.” American Sociological Review 51:4.Google Scholar
Stepan, Alfred, and Linz, Juan J.. 2013. “Democratization Theory and the ‘Arab Spring.’” Journal of Democracy 24:15–30.Google Scholar
Székely Pardo, Miguel, López-Calva, Luis F., Martínez, Álvaro Meléndez, and Ramírez, Ericka G. Rascón y Rodríguez-Chamussy., Lourdes 2007. “Poniendo a la Pobreza de Ingresos y a la Desigualdad en el Mapa de México (Putting Poverty, Income, and Inequality on the Mexican Map).” Economía Mexicana 16:239–303.Google Scholar
Tansey, Oisín. 2007. “Process Tracing and Elite Interviewing: A Case for Non-Probability Sampling.” PS: Political Science and Politics 40:765–772.Google Scholar
Trejo, Guillermo. 2004. “Indigenous Insurgency: Protest, Rebellion and the Politicization of Ethnicity in 20th Century Mexico.” Ph.D. Diss. University of Chicago.Google Scholar
Trejo, Guillermo. 2009. “Religious Competition and Ethnic Mobilization in Latin America: Why the Catholic Church Promotes Indigenous Movements in Mexico.” American Political Science Review 103:323–342.Google Scholar
Trejo, Guillermo. 2010. Mexican Indigenous Insurgency Dataset. Durham, NC: Duke University.Google Scholar
Trejo, Guillermo. 2012. Popular Movements in Autocracies: Religion, Repression, and Indigenous Collective Action in Mexico. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Vanden, Harry E., and Prevost, Gary. 2015. Politics of Latin America: The Power Game. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Warner, Carolyn, and Wenner, Manfred W.. 2006. “Religion and Political Organization of Muslims in Europe.” Perspectives on Politics 4:457–479.Google Scholar
Washbrook, Sarah. 2007. “The Chiapas Uprising of 1994: Historical Antecedents and Political Consequences.” In Rural Chiapas Ten Years after the Zapatista Uprising, ed. Washbrook, Sarah. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Wickham, Carrie Rosefsky. 1997. “Islamic Mobilization and Political Change: The Islamist Trend in Egypt's Professional Associations.” In Political Islam: Essays from Middle East Reports, eds. Beinin, Joel, and Stork, Joe. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Wiktorowicz, Quintan. 2004. “Islamic Activism and Social Movement Theory.” In Islamic Activism: A Social Movement Theory Approach, ed. Wiktorowicz, Quintan. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.Google Scholar
Womack, John Jr. 1999. Rebellion in Chiapas: An Historical Reader. New York, NY: The New Press.Google Scholar
Yashar, Deborah. 2005. Contesting Citizenship in Latin America: The Rise of Indigenous Movements and the Postliberal Challenge. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Zald, Mayer N. 2008. “Culture, Ideology, and Strategic Framing.” In Comparative Perspectives on Social Movements: Political Opportunities, Mobilizing Structures, and Cultural Framings, eds. McAdam, Doug, McCarthy, John D., and Zald, Mayer N.. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar

Anonymous Interviews Cited

Interview 1, Church Official. 2012, Chiapas, August 2.Google Scholar
Interview 2, Cooperative member. 2012, Chiapas, August 2.Google Scholar
Interview 4, Church Volunteer. 2011, Chiapas, December 2.Google Scholar
Interview 8, Government Official. 2011, Yucatán, October 27.Google Scholar
Interview 10, Citizen. 2011, Yucatán, October 28.Google Scholar
Interview 11, Church Official. 2012, Yucatán, June 14.Google Scholar
Interview 17, Cooperative member. 2012, Chiapas, July 25.Google Scholar
Interview 22, Church Official. 2012, Yucatán, June 28.Google Scholar
Interview 23, Church Official. 2012, Yucatán, June 18.Google Scholar
Interview 25, Party Official. 2011, Yucatán, October 24.Google Scholar
Interview 26, Citizen. 2011, Yucatán, October 13.Google Scholar
Interview 29, Civic Association. 2011, Chiapas, November 17.Google Scholar
Interview 30, Cooperative member. 2012, Chiapas, July 23.Google Scholar
Interview 31, Church Representative. 2011, Chiapas, December 1.Google Scholar
Interview 37, Civic Leader. 2011, Yucatán, October 12.Google Scholar
Interview 38, Civic Leader. 2011, Yucatán, October 12.Google Scholar
Interview 39, Church Volunteer. 2012, Yucatán, June 21.Google Scholar
Interview 43, Cooperative member. 2012, Chiapas, July 31.Google Scholar
Interview 45, Church Official. 2012, Chiapas, July 12.Google Scholar
Interview 46, Church Official. 2011, Chiapas, December 1.Google Scholar
Interview 48, Civic Leader. 2011, Yucatán, October 11Google Scholar
Interview 49, Government Official. 2011, Yucatán, October 6.Google Scholar
Interview 51, Church Official. 2011, Yucatán, October 3.Google Scholar
Interview 56, Church Official. 2011, Chiapas, November 24 & November 27.Google Scholar
Interview 63, Church Official. 2011, Yucatán, October 7.Google Scholar
Interview 69, Church Official. 2011, Yucatán, October 26.Google Scholar
Interview 70, Citizen. 2011, Yucatán, October 29.Google Scholar
Interview 71, Citizen. 2012, Yucatán, September 23.Google Scholar
Interview 81, Church Official. 2011, Chiapas, November 4.Google Scholar
Interview 83, Cooperative member. 2012, Chiapas, July 25.Google Scholar