Social movements and civil society: The Mexico City 1985 earthquake victim movement

This thesis addresses the issue of how social movements emerge in an authoritarian regime and what their presence means for political and social change. In particular, this study explores the relationship between social movements and other forms of civil society. Can social movements---as has been frequently argued---be equated to the revival or re-emergence of civil society? It also addresses the issue of the democratizing impact of social movements. When and how do social movements contribute to democratization processes? In addition, this dissertation re-examines the role that disaster-generated grievances play in the emergence of social movements. Do grievances remain an important variable in the emergence of collective action? Answers to these questions are provided through the examination of the life cycle of the Mexico City 1985 earthquake victim movement. Using data from in depth open-ended recorded interviews with members and, in particular, leaders of the most important organizations within the earthquake victim movement, as well as from participant observation in the series of preparatory meetings and celebrations for the tenth anniversary of the earthquakes, this dissertation provides evidence that does not fit the standard interpretation of the 1985 earthquake victim movement as signaling the "revival of Mexican civil society," and suggests that a different account and interpretation are warranted. Although it correctly points to social organization outside the state/party apparatus, the interpretation of social movements as signaling the rebirth of civil society has prevented scholars from sufficiently analyzing their social embeddedness. It has, in particular, obscured the role of external agents in the emergence of social movement organizations as well as the multiple ways in which movement are linked to their larger organizational environment. Yet, as this study suggests, the emergence, development, and impact of social movements is mediated precisely by such linkages. Finally, the study suggests an alternative path by which social movements in non-democratic contexts may contribute to processes of democratization. It suggests that by pointing to a discrepancy between the symbolic and the institutional dimensions of civil society, movements can be vehicles for creating contested discourses which can then be used by other actors within society to push for democratic reform. Collective processes of interpretation are, in consequence, an important and too often neglected variable for understanding the political consequences of social movements.