Date Thesis Awarded

4-2015

Access Type

Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only

Degree Name

Bachelors of Arts (BA)

Department

International Relations

Advisor

Dan Maliniak

Committee Members

Amy Oakes

Richard Turits

Abstract

Explores the emergence of self-defense forces as a third front in Mexico’s drug war. Argues the geographic location of these groups is best predicted by indigenous marginalization and thick social capital. Mexico’s indigenous communities enjoy a de facto autonomy of neglect from the federal state. These communities exercise social bonds in order to ensure their cultural survival. These bonds have been reinforced throughout history, from the Mexican Revolution to the Zapatista Uprising. Under conditions of weakening state institutions and rising cartel extortion/brutality, indigenous communities were the best suited to overcome collective action problems and respond proactively to local violence.

Recommended Citation

Halcli, Kassia M., "Life That Thrives In Hostility: Mexico's Indigenous Communities and Self-Defense Forces" (2015). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 161.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/161