Challenging the boundaries of citizenship: NGOs and political participation in Monterrey, Mexico

How do non-governmental organizations (NGOs) facilitate and expand citizen participation in the political process in Mexico? This study examines the role of NGOs and political participation in the context of Monterrey, a city located in the north of Mexico with a unique socio-economic and political context. My central argument is that political participation is about the struggle over and challenge to the boundaries of the multidimensional aspects of citizenship (political, social, and civil). Using multiple data collection strategies in a single embedded field case study design, I elucidate three themes: (1) the citizenship demands of the NGOs, the social groups they claim to represent, and the targets of the demands, (2) the strategies of the NGOs, and (3) the use of identity by the NGOs.Based on in-depth interviews with twenty NGO leaders, I demonstrate there is fluidity to the strategies used by the organizations such that they move beyond traditional, radical strategies of mobilization. I argue that geographical location and the local Monterrey institutions of power have affected not only what the NGOs demand, but also how they engage in making demands. Therefore, I show that the majority of the organizations have transformational demands, but use system-stabilizing strategies to enact those demands. Through my comparison of these organizational demands and strategies, I contend that the Monterrey NGOs have two roles in the political process: transformational and system-stabilizing. Moreover, based on thirty-four in-depth interviews with two of the embedded NGOs, I demonstrate that rather than identity rooted in gender, class, or ethnicity, NGOs use the discourse of social justice and citizenship rights in making their demands. Both of these NGOs impact local politics, albeit through different coalitions and levels of visibility. Finally, while one organization is a transformational NGO and the other a system-stabilizing NGO, I contend that this differentiation is vital because the 'NGOization' of society challenges boundaries of what should be included in the political arena, confronts traditional notions of political participation and citizenship, and encourages the participation of underrepresented groups.