Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Indigenous peoples – Mexico'

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Kentucky, 2005.
Title from document title page (viewed on November 2, 2005). Document formatted into pages; contains v, 419 p. Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 380-417).

This thesis looks at land disputes and the dispossession of Rarámuri communities in northern Mexico by examining the way dominant groups shape the structural conditions for land appropriation and its perpetuation over time. This is pursued by exploring the link between the Rarámuri communities’ decision-making power and their potential to resists land dispossession. The research contributes to a better understanding of the wide variety of dominant actors’ tactics behind juridical dispossession of indigenous landholders with ancestral ties to the land. Archive research and interviews regarding Rarámuri communities’ agrarian and juridical disputes over the 20th century provided empirical evidence to interpret dominant actors’ discourses and practices. These obscure indigenous communities’ land claims, while legitimating, normalising and allowing development-led land appropriation through the use of notions of progress, rule of law and political representation. While the lowest levels of Human Development in indigenous regions in northern Mexico have been found in the Tarahumara mountain range, development discourses and practices tend to neglect historical, relational and political perspectives of development-induced land displacement, thus, invisibilising structural inequalities and perpetuating land dispossession. The structural domination approach aims at the identification of the main structural conditions that indirectly constrain the Rarámuri’s efforts to protect their property or landholding rights from local and external elites engaged in development initiatives. Group dominance and subordination is thus highly influenced by groups’ constructed attributes and, therefore, by the position different groups occupy in the social structure. Archive research and interviews concerning Rarámuri communities’ agrarian and juridical disputes over the course of the 20th century revealed domination mechanisms for land dispossession. The thesis argues that these tactics undermine the Rarámuri’s decision-making power and, consequently, their potential to resist unwanted development interventions. I conclude that, in contrast to brokerage, self-determining practices have been shown to be more effective for securing and defending indigenous land.

This thesis is a multidisciplinary project, drawing on the discourses of Visual Cultural Studies, Latin American history and Critical Theory. Insights from each of these disciplines interact to investigate the representation of the indigenous peoples of Mexico in the mural triptych entitled History of the Mexican People painted by Diego Rivera in the National Palace, Mexico City between 1929 and 1935. The main focus is an exploration of the mural as a cultural text, which is formed through socio-political structures and homogenising nationalist visions. The artist is seen as partly a product of history who acts, both consciously and subconsciously, as a conduit for such historical structures. The investigation requires a multi-dimensional approach as it includes emotional, aesthetic, sociological, political, cultural, philosophical, biographical and material elements. A close-reading of the National Palace mural as a cultural 'text' is undertaken in order to deconstruct certain culturally-specific political myths. The production of the fresco triptych is inextricably interlinked with the construction of the post-revolutionary Mexican nation and socio-cultural mythologies regarding the 'Indian' which are central to nationalist imagery and the post-revolutionary, anthropological theories of indigenismo. Certain distinctive racial strands of nationalist mythology which are represented in the mural are analysed within the framework of Anthony D. Smith's (1999) theory of historical ethno-mythology. I argue, following Smith, that what gives nationalism its power are the myths, memories, traditions and symbols of ethnic heritages and the ways in which a popular living past has been, can be and is rediscovered and reinterpreted by modern, nationalist intelligentsias. Smith's universal theory has not previously been applied in depth to a complex concrete situation. This thesis relates the insights of the theory of nationalist ethno-mythology to the tangible cultural text of History of the Mexican People.

The adoption of the neo-liberal model in the mid-1980s has forced the governing elites to reconfigure the Mexican State. However, the consolidation of a neoliberal State continues to be incomplete and it has been problematic to fully integrated the Mexican economy in the global market due to the increasing organized crime, the dismantling of previous post-revolutionary control mechanisms, and the growing mobilisation of organised indigenous opposition ranging from the peaceful obstruction of hydroelectric mega-projects in their territories to armed struggle. In view of the State crisis, this thesis argues that there has been a shift in the system of control mechanisms of the State that is leaning towards a more recurrent use of open violence to implement its neo-liberal State project. From a theoretical perspective, the research proposes an innovative approach to understanding the formation of the post-revolutionary State, which transcends the State violence dichotomy established between the ´corporatist´ and the ´critical´ approaches in the contemporary literature. The research highlights the wide spectrum of control mechanisms from hegemonic domination to violence used by the governing elites to compensate the unfinished State formation process in order to maintain socio-political stability without profound structural changes. It explores the enhanced tendency of State violence to replace incorporation in Statesociety relations since the efforts to restructure the economy from the 1980s onwards. The thesis analyses how this tendency has grown particularly in response to indigenous movements in the South of Mexico. The argument is substantiated empirically with two case studies undertaken in the sub-region of Costa Chica-Montaña of Guerrero with data from 79 semi-structured interviews with a wide range of social and political actors, and participant observation in ten indigenous communities. The case studies explore the different State control mechanisms used to advance the State formation model in the post revolutionary period; the impact of the crisis of those mechanisms in the sub-region; the violent resistance of local bosses to the loss of power, and the multiples indigenous responses to the implementation of neoliberal policies in their territories. This research also includes a comparative study to explain some factors that strengthen indigenous articulations, as well as their limits in an era of neoliberal globalisation. One of the most important research findings is that neoliberalism has further weakened the 'civilianisation' power of the State to deal peacefully with civil society sectors, particularly with indigenous peoples, while it has strengthened its 'centralised-coercive' power to carry out the imposed State model. Another finding is that the indigenous initiatives that have reinvented themselves through a new version of their practices and broader alliances have consolidated their alternative models. In contrast, the indigenous responses that have reproduced their traditions have failed.

In the midst of a violent decade where the Mexican government used force to suppress insurgent and student unrest, the Indian population avoided such a response by operating within official government parameters. The 1975 First National Congress of Indigenous Peoples of Mexico, though convened by the federal government, gave Indians an opportunity to claim a role in the complex political process of formulating a new version of national Indian policy while demanding self-determination. Through the congress, indigenous groups attempted to take the lead in shaping national programs to their needs and interests rather than merely responding to government initiatives. The congress marked a fundamental change in post-revolutionary politics, the most important restructuring and recasting of the relationship between local and regional indigenous associations and the federal government since the 1930s. Its history provides an important context for understanding more recent political disputes about indigenous autonomy and citizenship, especially in the aftermath of the Zapatista (EZLN) revolt in 1994. The 1975 Congress marked a watershed as it allowed for the advent of independent Indian organizations and proved to be momentous in the negotiation of political autonomy between indigenous groups and government officials.

La imatge dels pobles indígenes a Mèxic ha estat emprada, en varis suports (arts gràfiques, cinema, publicitat, entre d’altres) per a dotar la nació d’una identitat pròpia i diferenciada, des de la Revolució de l’any 1910. Aquesta recerca se centra en l’anàlisi de l’ús de les tecnologies audiovisuals i dels estereotips ètnics per part d’un grup de persones d’origen rural i indígena al sudest mexicà. Aquests joves protagonitzen un projecte de “vídeo indígena” que està imbricat amb d’altres projectes que tenen lloc especialment als estats de Chiapas, Oaxaca i Guerrero. Alhora, el projecte es pot inserir en les genealogies de l’antropologia militant o activista, ja que està promogut per antropòlegs que cerquen trobar agendes comuns de treball amb els seus grups objecte d’estudi. Mitjançant una metodologia d’investigació etnogràfica col•laborativa s’han observat i acompanyat els processos de presa de decisions personals, polítiques i artístiques relacionats amb la realització audiovisual. L’anàlisi d’aquest fenomen passa per observar els processos i productes resultants en forma d’imatges en moviment, tot fixant-se en les relacions que es generen al voltant dels vídeos i de les tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació. També per la incrustació del moviment dels mitjans de comunicació indígenes dins l’emergència de moviments socials i culturals indígenes des de la dècada dels 1990s a Amèrica Central i del Sud, que ha ressituat els pobles indígenes i la seva etnicitat dins l’arena política mundial.
The image of indigenous people in Mexico has been used since the Revolution of 1910 in several formats (graphic arts, film, advertising, among others) to give the nation a distinct identity. This research focuses on analyzing the use of audiovisual technology and ethnic stereotypes by a group of people of rural and indigenous origin in South Eastern Mexican. These young people are the main actors of a project of “indigenous video” which is nested with other projects that take place especially in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guerrero. Moreover, the project can be inserted in the lines of the militant or activist anthropology as it is promoted by anthropologists seeking to find common working agendas with their study groups. The processes of making personal, artistic and political decisions related to filmmaking were observed and accompanied, through a collaborative ethnographic research methodology. Also, the analysis of this phenomenon required paying attention to the processes and resulting products in the form of moving images, and also looking at the relationships that are built around films and information and communication technologies. Also, the movement of indigenous media was analysed as embedded in the emergency of indigenous social and cultural movements since the early 1990s in Central and South America, which situated Indigenous Peoples and their ethnicities within the global political arena.

Author

Sandra Karlsson

E-mail: s.e.karlsson@gmail.com, skaiv02@student.vxu.se

Institutional affiliation

Växjö University

School of Social Sciences

Academic adviser: Associate professor Per Dannefjord

Level: Bachelor’s thesis in sociology

Title

Alcohol Abuse Reproduced by Structural Inequalities: A Case Study in rural Mexico

Description

The purpose of this case study is to reveal the social structure determining the state of alcoholism in a particular society. The Case Study area is a marginalized rural and indigenous village, highly interconnected with the modern world through non-indigenous presence and because of its geographic location, situated close to a highway.

The research is a result of a perceived local acceptance and naturalness of a highly destructive alcohol intake, which penetrates the whole society.

The theoretical focus is drawn from the theories Durable Inequality developed by Charles Tilly and Stigmatization of Outsiders developed by Norbert Elias.

The study is empirical and presented in a narrative structure introducing the reader to both the particularities of the Case Study area as well as the focal problem. The method used is Participant Observation.

The crucial finding of the study is that an adaptive structure has evolved around the alcohol abuse, normalizing its existence and hazardous side effects, hindering any form of active resistance, and therefore reproducing or even strengthening the abuse.

This study explores the ways marginalised groups can be supported in their empowerment process, and specifically how art projects organised by non-governmental organisations can contribute in the process. The focus is on prisoners and indigenous children and adults in Mexico City and San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Mexico who are involved in the organisations’ projects. Results from qualitative interviews with organisations’ staff are presented and discussed covering organisations characteristics and relationship with the clients as factors in supporting the clients in their empowerment. Involvement in art projects influenced participants’ self-awareness, self-confidence, sense of achievement, gender roles and the way they cooperate with each other. The findings also show art projects as a possibility for marginalised groups to tell about their own lives and by doing so change stereotypes about themselves. The discussion focuses on interpreting these effects of working with art projects as empowering factors. It is suggested that working with art and in the non-governmental sector can complement the welfare system and serve as an inspiration to finding other ways of achieving empowerment. A closer look at how the non-governmental organisations work and relate to their clients, shows a more equal relationship than the one within the welfare systems, which opens up for more options of supporting marginalised individuals through their empowerment processes. The results of this research are based on the perception of the organisation’s employees, not the users themselves.Therefore it would be interesting to continue research on this topic, interviewing the users in order to get the marginalized people’s perspective on the issue.

This thesis argues that the curricula distributed among the newly founded, rural socialist schools in Mexico after the Revolution of 1910 created a new narrative about one of the most explosive moments in Latin American history. It describes the ways that women's work was increased by charging mothers with additional burdens of raising revolutionary citizens and developing the ideals of the revolution at home. The thesis gives a close read of one major children's novel of the time as well as articles from a teachers' magazine to discuss the ways that the post-revolutionary state government promoted indigenous ethnocide in the wake of the 1910 revolution and consolidated political power to the hands of the official state party which has dominated Mexican politics ever since.

This doctoral thesis aims to contribute to the development of an emerging theory of community-based tourism (CBT), defining it as community-driven governance (CDG) and as social entrepreneurship, both analyzed as dimensions of community agency (CA). The research focuses on indigenous communities whose traditional governance (called uses and customs) is directly linked to tourism community-based enterprises (CBEs). A theoretical sample of three indigenous communities is analyzed; despite each case have developed a CBT model, they have followed different processes. This study applied the grounded theory; consequently, this is an inductive and qualitative research, based on constant comparisons. The data was collected through 48 in-depth interviews in four stages, during the 2011-2017 period. The results indicate that in a context of indigenous CBT, there is a strong link between the CDG and the CBE, and that the evolution of both dimensions directly affects the local CBT model.
La tesis pretende contribuir al desarrollo de una teoría del turismo de base comunitaria (TBC) definiéndolo como una gobernanza dirigida por la comunidad (GDC)y como un emprendimiento social, ambos analizados como dimensiones de agencia comunitaria (AC). La investigación se centra en comunidades indígenas donde la gobernanza tradicional (denominada usos y costumbres) se articula directamente con las empresas de base comunitaria(EBC)turísticas. Se analiza una muestra teórica de tres comunidades indígenas que a pesar de haber desarrollado un modelo de TBC, han seguido diferentes procesos. El estudio aplicó la teoría fundamentada; en consecuencia, es una investigación inductiva y cualitativa, basada en comparaciones constantes. Se realizaron 52 entrevistas en profundidad en cuatro etapas, durante el periodo 2011-2017. Los resultados indican que en un contexto de TBC indígena, existe un fuerte vínculo entre la GDC y la EBC, y que la evolución de ambas dimensiones afecta directamente el modelo de TBC local

La recherche sociale présentée se focalise sur la participation et la représentation politique indienne à l'intérieur d'un district électoral. Le district électoral 04, siégé à Zacapoaxtla à la Sierra Norte de Puebla, est habité par des populations nahuas et totonaques. Le regard anthropologique nous rend les outils qualitatifs pour analyser le rapport entre l’État et les groupes indiennes de la région comprenant les échelles inframunicipale, municipale et du district. Il s'agit d'une étude de cas qui permet de comprendre la complexité du vote dans un contexte rural afin de dévoiler les phénomènes de multipartisme et alternance politique
The research is focus on the participation and representation of indigenous people in a federal electoral district recently developed (2005) within electoral processes. The 04 federal electoral district based in Zacapoaxtla is located in the Sierra Norte de Puebla, inhabited by nahuas and totonacs groups. The anthropological point of view offers qualitative instruments for the understanding of the interaction between the State and the indigenous people through different analysis scales: infra-municipal, municipality and district. It is a case study that allows the understanding of the complexity of the vote in rural areas, with the purpose of comprehending the phenomenon of pluralist political arena and political alternation
La investigación se enfoca en la participación y representación política indígena en un distrito electoral federal de nueva creación (2005) en el contexto de los procesos electorales. El distrito electoral 04 con cabecera en Zacapoaxtla se ubica en la Sierra Norte de Puebla, habitado por grupos nahuas y totonacos. La mirada antropológica ofrece las herramientas cualitativas para el análisis de la relación del Estado con los grupos indígenas a través de distintas escalas como: inframunicipal, municipal y distrital. Es un estudio de caso que permite entender la complejidad del voto en un contexto rural, con la intención de comprender los fenómenos de multipartidismo y alternancia política

This paper deals with the issue of the Indian population in the southern state of Mexico, Chiapas. The objective was to find out what are the causes of adverse social, economic and political situation of the local indigenous population. The paper characterizes the most important historical events that affected the status of the Indian population in Mexican society today. It also discusses the impact of these events on the current problems of this population group. This paper also characterizes these particular problems and compares the living standards of the local Indian population with the living standards of the major and dominant society. Based on identified issues and socio-economic status of the local population, the work deals with the marginalization of the Indian minority in Chiapas. The work also describes possible solutions of the exclusion of Indian population. The paper also analyzed a practical example of an autonomous indigenous centre - Centre for Indian Education and Intercultural studies Abya Yala

This work deals with the issues of cultural identity of ethnic groups in the modern Mexican society, explores its characteristics and essence and searches for possibilities of its maintenance. The central question is, which way indigenous groups can develop their culture freely in the modern Mexican society, and so keep their own peculiarity and identity. The main instrument is a case study of Nahua communities occupying the territory of the Northeastern mountain range of the Mexican state of Puebla, which is in the sphere of influence of the organization called Unión de Cooperativas Tosepan Titataniske, seeking to improve the standard of living and strengthen the cultural identity of the villagers in the region. An ethno-historical study of the Nahua communities living in the particular region, completed with an analysis of the contemporary inhabitants' cultural identity based on a field research, shows that indigenous cultures can keep their identity in spite of significant external interference into their traditional way of life in the course of centuries and that the continuity of their identity is not dependent on maintaining concrete, time conditioned cultural manifestations. On the contrary, important factors for keeping cultural identity are the functional continuity of a given group and...

W Ameryce Północnej i Południowej żyje ponad 20 milionów osób posługujących się językami rdzennymi, a za sprawą działalności tubylczych ruchów społecznych oraz rosnącej grupy badaczy władze poszczególnych państw i organizacji międzynarodowych coraz częściej podnoszą problem ochrony języków tubylczych. Mimo to zarówno badania obecnego statusu języków tubylczych, jak i sytuacji ich użytkowników wciąż należą do rzadkości. Niniejsza rozprawa ma wypełnić jedną z luk w obrębie aktualnych publikacji na ten temat. Jej celem jest określenie i ocena przestrzennych aspektów współczesnej polityki wobec języków tubylczych w państwach i terytoriach zależnych Ameryki Północnej i Południowej w kontekście postępującego wzrostu liczby ludności rdzennej w miastach oraz globalnych zmian zachodzących w politykach wobec ludności tubylczej. Zgodnie z przyjętymi hipotezami badawczymi polityki językowe na badanym obszarze w coraz większym stopniu chronią języki rdzenne, szczególnie w państwach o znacznej liczbie i odsetku tubylczej populacji i użytkowników języków rdzennych, ale ich zasięg nie jest dostosowany do zmian rozmieszczenia ludności tubylczej, zwłaszcza w państwach unitarnych. Przyjęto również, że odsetek osób posługujących się językami rdzennymi jest wyższy na obszarach słabiej zaludnionych oraz takich, gdzie mieszka wyższy odsetek ludności tubylczej. Ponadto sformułowano dwie hipotezy badawcze dotyczące sytuacji języków rdzennych w mieście Meksyk, stanowiącej przedmiot studium przypadku: zgodnie z nimi oficjalna polityka językowa w mieście nie jest skutecznie realizowana, a w rezultacie sytuacja języków rdzennych uzależniona jest głównie od oddolnych działań ludności tubylczej. W pierwszym rozdziale pracy przedstawiono jej cel i zakres, podstawowe pojęcia dotyczące analizowanych zagadnień, przegląd najważniejszych badań nad językami rdzennymi i ludnością tubylczą, a także opis metod badawczych i charakterystykę źródeł danych. W rozdziale drugim podjęto próbę określenia liczby i rozmieszczenia ludności tubylczej oraz użytkowników języków rdzennych w poszczególnych państwach i terytoriach zależnych obu Ameryk w oparciu o dane ze spisów powszechnych. Uzyskane informacje przedstawiono w formie opisowej z pomocą sporządzonej w tym celu serii map, zaś do porównania danych statystycznych dla poszczególnych obszarów zastosowano podstawowe metody statystyczne. W rozdziale trzecim w oparciu o teksty aktów prawnych przeanalizowano historyczne i współczesne polityki formułowane wobec języków tubylczych w obu Amerykach od okresu kolonialnego do czasów współczesnych. Uzyskane dane posłużyły do oceny stopnia ochrony języków rdzennych w każdym z analizowanych państw i terytoriów zależnych. W rozdziale czwartym zbadano przestrzenne aspekty sytuacji języków rdzennych w mieście Meksyk, posługując się danymi jakościowymi uzyskanymi podczas wywiadów i obserwacji prowadzonych w ramach badań terenowych, uzupełnionymi o dane zastane. Przestawiono informacje na temat użytkowników języków rdzennych w mieście Meksyk, wskazano założenia oficjalnej polityki językowej miasta, a także określono główne czynniki wpływające na żywotność języków tubylczych na jego obszarze. Uzyskane wyniki pozwoliły stwierdzić, że od lat 80. XX wieku na niemal całym badanym obszarze doszło do znacznego rozwoju oficjalnych polityk chroniących języki rdzenne, także w miastach oraz w państwach o stosunkowo małej liczbie i odsetku ludności tubylczej, bez wyraźnej różnicy między państwami federalnymi i unitarnymi. Ze względu na brak wystarczających danych nie można było w pełni zweryfikować hipotez o wyższym odsetku użytkowników języków rdzennych na obszarach słabiej zaludnionych oraz takich, gdzie wyższy był też odsetek tubylczej populacji. W przypadku miasta Meksyk jednoznacznie potwierdzono nieskuteczność oficjalnej polityki językowej, natomiast jako główny czynnik wpływający na kondycję języków rdzennych wskazano napływ ludności tubylczej z obszarów wiejskich, podczas gdy ruchy oddolne odgrywają w tej kwestii bardzo ograniczoną rolę.
In North and South America, more than 20 million people speak indigenous languages. Thanks to indigenous social movements and a growing number of researchers, the need to protect those languages is more and more often discussed both on national and international level. Nevertheless, research concerning the current status of indigenous languages and the situation of their speakers is still scarce. This dissertation seeks to fill one of the gaps in existing literature on this topic. It aims at identifying and assessing spatial aspects of present-day policies towards indigenous languages in North and South American countries and dependent territories, in the context of increasing urbanization of autochthonous populations and global changes in policies regarding indigenous people. The research hypotheses are that language policies in the Americas are increasingly protecting indigenous languages, especially in countries with a higher number and percentage of native people and indigenous language speakers, but the policies’ scope is not adapted to changes in spatial distribution of autochthonous populations, particularly in unitary states. It is also assumed that the percentage of indigenous language speakers is higher in less populated areas and in regions where the percentage of indigenous people is higher. Two additional hypotheses regarding the situation of indigenous languages in Mexico City, described in a case study, state that the official language policy in the city is not being successfully implemented, and as a result the situation of indigenous languages depends primarily on grassroots initiatives of autochthonous people. The first chapter presents the aim and scope of the dissertation, basic concepts regarding the analyzed subject, an overview of most relevant studies on indigenous people and languages, as well as a description of research methods and data sources. In the second chapter an attempt to determine the number and spatial distribution of indigenous people and indigenous language speakers in countries and dependent territories of the Americas has been made, based on census data. This information is presented in the form of descriptions and a series of maps; the comparison concerning different countries and regions has been done, with the application of basic statistical methods. The third chapter analyzes historical and modern policies towards indigenous languages in the Americas from the colonial era to the present, on the basis of corresponding legal acts. The data is used to assess the level of protection of indigenous languages in each analyzed country and dependent territory. The fourth chapter studies spatial aspects of the situation of indigenous languages in Mexico City, based primarily on qualitative data obtained from interviews and observations carried out during field research. Information on indigenous language speakers in Mexico City is presented, objectives of the city’s official language policy are indicated, and main factors that influence the vitality of indigenous languages in the case study area are determined. The results obtained allow to conclude that since the 1980s in almost all of the Americas there has been a significant development of official policies that protect indigenous languages, including their presence in cities and in the countries with a relatively small number and percentage of indigenous population, without much difference between federal and unitary states. Due to lack of sufficient data it is not possible to verify fully whether the percentage of indigenous language speakers is higher in less populated areas and in regions where the percentage of indigenous people is higher. In the case of Mexico City, the ineffectiveness of the official language policy has been confirmed, whereas it is the migration of indigenous people from rural areas that proves to be the main factor affecting the condition of indigenous languages rather than grassroots initiatives, which turn out to have a very limited role.

PhD Thesis Summary: Imagining the West: Marginality and Possible Lives at the Outskirts of a Mexican City Mgr. Marie Heřmanová The thesis aims to develop various results of a long-term fieldwork in the city of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México, where rural-urban migration was pervasive since the 1960s. The research concentrated on the second generation of Tzotzil and Tzeltal migrants living at the suburbs of the city. Young indigenous people, whose parents came to the city to seek jobs, are now completely bilingual (they speak their maternal language - mostly Tzotzil as well as spanish they have learned in the school in the city). They mostly work in the same areas as the first generation migrants - as shop-keepers, souvenirs sellers or street-food vendors. They are thus in everyday interaction with both tourist and expats in the city centre. These interactions and meetings are in the context of the thesis seen as a consitutive element to imageries of mobility, modernity and Western lifestyles developed by the the young indigenous people from the suburbs. The concept if "Imaginary West" (Yurchak 2005) is central in the thesis, an unseen and yet ever-present homeland of the tourists and most importantly a place where "better lives" happen. The text explores how the search for...

Les six romans du cycle de Caoba retracent sur un mode fictif le déroulement de la Révolution mexicaine et montrent les conséquences de la colonisation de même que les injustices sociales et économiques dont souffre tout particulièrement la population indigène. Dans ce contexte de conflit culturel entre colonisés et colonisateurs, le personnage de l’indigène est perçu de façon variée dans les différents romans. L’analyse de la représentation de la population indigène est donc le sujet principal de ce travail qui combine une étude narratologique et une approche postcoloniale. L’examen détaillé d’extraits de texte permettra de vérifier dans quelle mesure l’auteur germanophone B. Traven, dans sa représentation de l'étranger, se détache d’un discours colonial, et s’il peut être considéré comme un auteur postcolonial avant la lettre. Dans ces analyses, les questions suivantes serviront de fil conducteur : dans quelle mesure la représentation du personnage de l’indigène correspond-elle à celle du «bon sauvage» ? Comment les différents groupes sociaux du Mexique sont-ils représentés – par des individus, des descriptions stéréotypées, des allégories? Quels moyens l’auteur utilise-t-il pour familiariser son lectorat européen/occidental avec cette culture étrangère? Ainsi, le travail se penche sur les procédés narratifs employés par l’auteur pour dépeindre la société à partir de perspectives diverses. Dans le but de dénoncer des conditions d’oppression et d’exploitation, Traven écrit à partir du regard du colonisé. Mais lorsqu'il cherche à comprendre le système dictatorial, il écrit dans la perspective du colonisateur. Cette méthode correspond à celle des regards croisés que le théoricien Edward E. Said décrit dans son ouvrage Orientalisme. L’emploi de cette méthode contrapunctique - permet-il d’exercer une critique (post)coloniale? Dans quelle mesure ce texte révèle-t-il l’importance de l’hybridité de la culture telle qu'elle a été théorisée par K. Bhabha? Dans quelle mesure l'accent est-il mis sur les rapports transculturels, sur la façon dont les cultures s'influencent les unes les autres?
The fictitious retelling of the events of the Mexican Revolution in the six novels of the Caoba cycle shows the consequences of colonialism. It also shows the social and economic injustices under which Mexican indigenous peoples suffered. The distinctive character of the native is well shown in the context of the cultural conflict between the colonizer and the colonized. The examination of the portrayal of the native section of the population is the major aim of the following thesis, which combines a narratological and postcolonial approach. The examination of selected text extracts shows, how and to what extent the German-speaking author is detached from a colonial discourse and if he can be seen as a forerunner of postcolonial discourses. The following central questions guide the analysis: To what extend does the representation of indigenous characters correspond to the one of the "noble savage"? How are the different groups of society portrayed (as individuals, type or allegory)? Which methods does the author employ in order to give the European or Western reader an understanding of the foreign culture? Traven's narrative technique of showing the various societies from different perspectives plays an important role in this respect. In his desire to show societal situations as oppression and exploitation, Traven writes from the perspective of the colonized; but he narrates from the perspective of the colonizer with the intention to understand the dictatorial system. This approach corresponds to the "contrapuntal" method described by Edward E. Said in his work Orientalism. I want to show to which extent the author utilises the "contrapuntal" method in his postcolonial criticism and to which extent it is a real postcolonial criticism. Furthermore, the thesis draws on Homi K. Bhabhas theory of the hybrid contact zones to assess the importance Traven gives to transcultural, viz. reciprocal influences?