UC San Diego UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Grassroots cosmopolitanism : transnational communication and citizenship practices among indigenous Mexican immigrants in the United States Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5tg8z68n Author Mercado, Antonieta Publication Date 2011 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Grassroots Cosmopolitanism: Transnational Communication and Citizenship Practices among Indigenous Mexican Immigrants in the United States A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirement for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Communication by Antonieta Mercado Dissertation Committee: Professor Daniel Hallin, Chair Professor David Fitzgerald Professor Robert Horwitz Professor Akos Rona-Tas Professor Olga Vásquez Professor Elana Zilberg 2011 Copyright Antonieta Mercado, 2011 All rights reserved The Dissertation of Antonieta Mercado is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Chair University of California San Diego 2011 iii DEDICATION To the memory of my father, Ranulfo Mercado Bonilla, who taught me that civic participation is possible, even in adverse conditions. To my husband James Samstad for his love, understanding, friendship and encouragement during all these years; and to my mother María de Jesús Anaya López for her unconditional love. To George and Grace Samstad, for all their support, understanding, and love. To my sisters Mary, Zoila, and Francis, and my brothers, Teo, Ranulfo, Pepe, and Toño, for their moral support. To all my 21 nieces and nephews: Vero, César, Naya, Livia, Eva, Martha, Clara, Jazmín, Noemí, Ranulfo, Pepe, Claudia, Gaby, Edgar, Angélica, Belém, Rosa, Adrian, Diana, Francisco, and Alejandro. To Tisha and Bruno. iv !"#$%&"'( ( Niqitoa ni Nesaualkoyotl: ¿Kuix ok neli nemoua in tlaltikpak? An nochipa tlaltikpak: san achika ya nikan. Tel ka chalchiuitl no xamani, no teokuitlatl in tlapani, no ketsali posteki. An nochipa tlaltikpak: san achika ye nikan. Yo lo Pregunto Yo Nezahualcóyotl lo pregunto: ¿Acaso de veras se vive con raíz en la tierra? Nada es para siempre en la tierra: Sólo un poco aquí. Aunque sea de jade se quiebra, Aunque sea de oro se rompe, Aunque sea plumaje de quetzal se desgarra. No para siempre en la tierra: Sólo un poco aquí. I, Nezahualcoyotl, ask this: By any chance is it true that one lives rooted on the earth? Not always on the earth: Here for only just a while; Though it be made of jade, it breaks; Though it be made of gold, it breaks; Though it be made of quetzal plumage, It shreds apart. Not forever here on earth; Here for only just a while. Nezahualcóyotl (hungry coyote) Aztec Poet 1402-1472 v TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page............................................................................................................... iii Dedication...................................................................................................................... iv Epigraph.......................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... vi List of Abbreviations................................................................................................... viii List of Figures................................................................................................................ xi List of Tables................................................................................................................ xii List of Photographs...................................................................................................... xiv List of Maps................................................................................................................. xvi Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... xvii Vita .............................................................................................................................. xxi Abstract of the Dissertation......................................................................................... xiv Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1 Citizenship and Exclusivity: Status, Tradition, and Practice .............. 27 Chapter 2 Communication and Citizenship Practices of Mexican Immigrant Organizations in the United States ....................................................... 83 Chapter 3 Be Responsible Citizens: The Case of the Frente Indígena de Organizaciones Binacionales (FIOB)................................................. 151 Chapter 4 FIOB Formal Communication Strategies from El Tequio to the Web............................................................................................... 265 Chapter 5 Oaxacalifornia, a Space for Identity and Movement: The Case of El Oaxaqueño Newspaper.............................................................. 339 vi Chapter 6 Conclusion.......................................................................................... 398 Appendix A Photographs ........................................................................................ 408 Appendix B Coding Manuals.................................................................................. 431 Appendix C Maps ................................................................................................... 441 References .................................................................................................................. 446 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AMN Articulatory Migrant Network APPO Asamblea Popular de Pueblos Oaxaqueños/Popular Assembly for Oaxacan People Cal/OSHA California Ocupational Safety and Health Administration CBDIO Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño/Binational Center for Oaxacan Indigenous Development CCPM Committee or Comite Cívico Popular Mixteco/Civic Popular Mixteco Committee CCPT Comité Cívico Popular Tlacotepense/Civic Popular Tlacotepense Committee CDI Comisión para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas/Mexican National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples. CNTE Coordinadora Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación/National Coordination of Teachers – Dissenting faction of SNTE COCIO Coalicion de Comunidades Indigenas de Oaxaca/Coalition of Indigenous Communities from Oaxaca CONAPO Consejo Nacional de Población/National Population Council CONEVAL Consejo Nacional de Evaluación de la Política de Desarrollo Social/Mexican National Council of Social Development Evaluation COTLA Tlacolulense Community in Los Angeles viii CRLA California Rural Legal Assistance CROM Confederación Regional Obrera Mexicana/ Regional Mexican Labor Confederation CUOM Confederación de Uniones Obreras Mexicanas /Confederation of Mexican Labor Unions DBIIAC Desarrollo Binacional Integral Indígena/ Indigenous Integral Binational Development EZLN Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional/ National Liberation Zapatista Army FIOB Frente Indígena de Organizaciones Binacionales/Indigenous Front of Binational Organizations FM-ZB Frente Mixteco-Zapoteco Binacional/Mixteco- Zapoteco Binational Front FOCOICA Federación Oaxaqueña de Comunidades y Organizaciones Indígenas en California HTA Hometown Association IME Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior/Institute of Mexicans Abroad INEGI Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática./National Institute of Geography, Statistics and Information. INI Instituto Nacional Indigenista/Indigenist National Institute IOAM Instituto Oaxaqueño de Atención al Migrante/Oaxacan Institute of Attention to Migrants IRCA Immigration Reform and Control Act LULAC League of United Latin American Citizens ix OPEO Organización para el Pueblo Explotado y Oprimido/ Organization for Oppressed and Exploited People ORO Organización Regional de Oaxaca/Regional Oaxacan Organization PAN Partido de Acción Nacional/National Action Party PCME Program for the Mexican Communities Abroad PNR Partido Nacional Revolucionario/National Revolutionary Party PRD Partido de la Revolución Democrática/Democratic Revolution Party PRI Partido Revolucionario Institucional/Institutional Revolutionary Party SNTE Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación/ National Teacher’s Union SRE Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores/ Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs UCSO Unión de Comunidades Serranas de Oaxaca UFW United Farm Workers x LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 FIOB Organizational Structure........................................................... 178 xi LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Mexican Immigrant Organizations and Hometown Associations in Main Mexican Migration Destinations in the US .......................... 122 Table 2 Top 15 Immigrant Sending States by Percentage of Mexican Migrants Who Are from That State.................................................... 123 Table 3 State of Origin of Mexican Immigrant Organizations........................ 124 Table 4 Transnational Citizenship Practices of Mexican Immigrant Organizations.....................................................................................