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Voices and Exits in Oaxacalifornia: The Reconfigurations of Political Spaces in the US-Mexican Context

  • Lars Ove Trans
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Abstract

In June 2006, the state of Oaxaca in the southeastern part of Mexico suddenly found itself in a conf lict that lasted more than seven months and resulted in at least 18 deaths (Stephen 2007 ). What initially began as an annually recurring strike and peaceful occupation of the main square in Oaxaca City by the local teachers’ union for higher salaries and improved teaching conditions escalated when, in the early morning of June 14, the state’s governor, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, sent in the municipal police to evict the striking teachers. In the wake of this attack, a broad-based movement, the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO), was formed, consisting of many different groups of Oaxacans discontented with the rule of the governor and calling for his resignation. Following the initial confrontations with the local police, the protesters managed to take over the central part of the city and occupy it for several months. In late November, however, the occupation came to an end when large troops of federal police were sent in, resulting in several violent clashes.

Keywords

Indigenous Community Birth Certificate North American Free Trade Agreement Migrant Community Mexican Government 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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© Jens Dahl and Esther Fihl 2013

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