Within the last decade, Mexico´s federal electoral courts have taken unprecedented steps to promote affirmative action in favor of women´s political participation. At the federal, state, and municipal levels, this has largely meant rulings that support legislation on gender-based quotas for public posts. A stumbling block to this affirmative action initiative has been the predominately indigenous municipalities that hold local elections through tradition and custom instead of universal suffrage and secret ballot. Legally recognized as part of indigenous people´s collective right to self-determination, election through custom and tradition has been difficult to fit into existing juridical logics of gender equality. In the past three years, however, a growing number of electoral conflicts appealed to the federal courts have brought the question of indigenous women´s political participation to the forefront. I examine several of these cases to explore how the courts mediate between the question of collective self-determination and individual women´s rights, how they seek to promote a liberal notion of gender equality, and how women and communities are responding to their rulings in unexpected ways. I argue that what is at stake is more than just women´s political participation; rather, these rulings reflect contemporary contestations over gender, indigeneity, modernity, and democracy in Mexico more broadly.
Holly Worthen is a Professor at the Instituto de Investigaciones Sociológicas at the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. She received her Phd in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her work focuses on gender, migration, development and indigenous politics.
Furthering our exploration of Mexico through the "¡Viva Mexico!," Passport to the World Program, the University of Kentucky Libraries introduces us to the whimsical folk art of Alebrijes from Oaxaca, Mexico. These carved and decorated figures of animals can be found in the William T. Young Library. In this podcast, Francie Chassen-Lopez, co-chair of the "¡Viva Mexico!" Program and a professor in the Department of History, and Dara Vance, a graduate student within the Department of History, discuss the history and production of Alebrije and what can be found in the exhibit. Head to the William T. Young library to check out the exhibit and take a photo of your favorite Alebrije - don’t forget to share online and tag as #vivamexico to share it with your friends and the University! Click for more information about alebrije or the exhibit.
Breathitt Lecture 2014 Evan Sweet Slum or Settlement? Rewriting the Narrative of Urban Poverty with a Focus on Community Organizing and Autonomy in Oaxaca, Mexico.
The College of Arts and Sciences' Passport to the World program has taken students all over the world. This year it’s stopping by our neighbor to the south: Mexico.
One of the ambassadors of the program is English major and A&S Spanish Social Media Coordinator Cecilia Amador. We sat down with Amador to discuss events that the program has been hosting around campus and the broader Lexington community celebrating different facets of Mexican culture and identity.
