Exploring the frontiers between communication and non-communication: Exclusion, conflict and discursive interactions about maize within Mexican society

This thesis is based on a qualitative analysis of the opinions of key actors involved in the public debate about the results of the investigation performed by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation Secretariat (CEC)---created as result of the NAFTA agreements---entitled "The Effects of Transgenic Maize in Mexico". The results the CEC investigation were made public in Oaxaca, March the 11th, 2004. The research question that guided the analysis is: in the context of the public debate about the unlawful introduction of transgenic corn to Mexico, can we see the dynamics of exclusion and silencing operating at different levels? The purpose of this thesis is to explore the repercussions of certain historical conditions in the communicative interactions between mestizo groups and indigenous communities in contemporary Mexico. The conclusions of the analysis show that the public debate about the maize issue between non-indigenous and indigenous actors is characterized by profound cultural disagreements, silences and exclusion.