DELINKING AS RESISTANCE TO TRANSNATIONALIZED CORPORATISM: A STUDY OF STATE SOCIETY RELATIONS IN MEXICO, 1982-2006. (Spine title: State Society Relations in Mexico) (Thesis format: Monograph) by Debra D. Chapman Graduate Program in Political Science A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Debra D. 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While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1*1 Canada THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO SCHOOL OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION Supervisor Examiners Dr. Doug Long Dr. Charles Jones Supervisory Committee Dr. Bruce Morrison Dr. Anton Allahar Dr. Richard Roman The thesis by Debra Chapman entitled: Delinking As Resistance to Transnationalized Corporatism: A Study of State Society Relations in Mexico, 1982-2006 is accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Date Chair of the Thesis Examination Board ii ABSTRACT State-society relations in Mexico have changed over the past thirty years from state corporatism (SC) to 'transnationalized corporatism' (TC). Driving the transition from SC to TC has been the state's adoption of neoliberal political-economic reforms under the tutelage of the International Financial Institutions and the World Trade Organization. Situated in a Marxist account of Mexico's capitalist relations of production, this work reports, analyzes and explains the various strategies employed by a purposive sample of non-state actors - unions, opposition political parties, NGOs, election movements, gremial movements and the Zapatista movement - in responding to the new order of TC. Because of its unique 'delinking' response to TC, the Zapatista movement is examined in detail. The dissertation's empirical findings are that although corporatism has declined in scope it has persisted in a transnationalized form; that in response non-state actors have variously adopted a range of strategies including maintaining (modified) relations with the state, forming independent unions, augmenting the scope of their demands, making coalitions, substituting for the state's withdrawal from service provision and seeking autonomy from the state altogether. Theoretically, 'integrative' (corporatist or anti- corporatist) or 'delinking' (non-corporatist) response strategies are distinguished in relation to their accommodation to TC and the social relations of production. The persistence of corporatism as an entrenched feature of Mexican state-society relations undermines the view that Mexico is a pluralist democracy. Finally, the Zapatista delinking strategy is compared with that of Hugo Chavez in relation to US imperialism and the deglobalizing efforts of the Argentinean factory takeover movement. Keywords: Mexico, corporatism, transnational, Zapatista movement (EZLN), delinking, neoliberalism, unions, NGOs, reconstituted class analysis, state-society relations. in DEDICATION To Peter for his encouragement, support and patience through this long process. To Cytlalli and Tania for understanding what it takes to complete a task of such magnitude. IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My biggest debt is to my friends in Mexico with whom I shared many hours protesting in the streets, attending meetings, selling newspapers and learning about the political, economic, cultural and social reality of Mexico, not to mention the frequent social gatherings we had to help keep our spirits up in a world rife with conflict, inequality, injustice and hardship. It was their persistent questioning and discussing of how to bring about a more just and equitable world that continues to drive me through life today. Their support and understanding following the political repression I suffered at the hands of the government of Chiapas in 1977 is what gave me the courage to continue on with the struggle for the subsequent twelve years. The heaviest burdens I carry today as a result of this most enlightening experience are the discomfort I am left with as I try to live with the contradictions of my privileged life in Canada and the sadness I feel every time I leave my friends behind as they struggle to support their families and continue their search for justice. It was this twelve year experience that brought me to think about the issues outlined in this dissertation. I would like to give a special thanks to Dinorah for always opening her door for me when I've needed a place to stay, to Champifiion for his hospitality and for my cultural edification, to Rogelio, Patotas, Carlos L., Carlos B., Memotas, Alicia, Arturo, Rosario, Oso, Magda, Mercedes, lima, JJ, Virginia, Jose B. and Rolando for keeping my political thoughts straight and for always being open to discussion. A heartfelt thank you to Marilu, Luis, Gustavo, Estela and Vita and the clan for providing an escape from the political turmoil of everyday life. v Doug Long, my supervisor, has been there since the beginning of the writing of this dissertation. Along with his detailed editing of my work, he has come in to pick up the pieces at a most crucial moment. He has contributed to the clarification of my theoretical framework and to tying the arguments together. As a friend and colleague his support has been indispensable. I would also like to thank Andres Perez for his help in getting me started and helping me frame my research question. His encouragement and support will be forever appreciated. The completion of this research project would have been impossible without the support of the University of Western Ontario which provided office and library space to me as well as financial support for my fieldwork and funding to attend conferences. Wilfrid Laurier University, although unaware of its contribution, was also very instrumental in making this a fait accompli. The inspiring music by Silvio Rodriguez, Pablo Milanes, Victor Jara, Mercedes Sosa and Atahualpa Yupanqui, just to mention a few, also helped to keep me interested. And finally, but by no means lastly, I will be forever indebted to Peter Eglin for his patience, encouragement, support and love. He never gave up on me and always said the right things when I felt overwhelmed with the process. Cytlalli and Tania were also model children who celebrated my academic achievements along the way and whose own accomplishments I celebrate in return. VI CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION ii ABSTRACT iii DEDICATION iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v LIST OF TABLES ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS x LIST OF INTERVIEWS xix PREFACE xxi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1 Methodology Contemporary Historical Context of Neoliberalism Plan of the Dissertation 2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 27 Corporatism Marxist Political-Economic Theory and Methodology Social Movement Theories and Marxist Critique Delinking and Deglobalization 3. THE MEXICAN CORPORATIST STATE 77 The Development of State Corporatism in Mexico under the PRI From State Corporatism to Transnationalized Corporatism The Nature and Significance of the Change 4. INTEGRATIVE OPPOSITIONAL STRATEGIES I 135 VII Union Organizing 5. INTEGRATIVE OPPOSITIONAL STRATEGIES II 175 Political Opposition Parties Non-Governmental Organizations Election Movements Gremial Social Movements 6. THEEZLN 237 Introduction Chronology The Uprising: War of Movement The War of Position Caracoles: Delinking The Other Campaign 7. EXPERIMENTS IN DELINKING AND DEGLOBALIZATION .... 295 The Zapatista Movement Venezuela: Chavez and ALBA Argentina: Factory Takeovers 8. CONCLUSIONS 317 EPILOGUE 329 BIBLIOGRAPHY 332 APPENDIX 362 CURRICULUM VITAE 366 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. The Four Dimensions