Study Notes on Michelle Téllez's "Community of Struggle"

COMMUNITY OF STRUGGLE: Gender, Violence, and Resistance on the U.S./Mexico Border

Author

Michelle Téllez
Arizona State University

Abstract Overview

This article utilizes 10 women's narratives, participant observation, archival research, and a focus group to analyze women's social activism in the Maclovio Rojas community, located in northern Mexico near the U.S./Mexico border. The author posits that women's activism and emerging political consciousness serve as lenses through which they critique both structural violence and intimate partner violence, ultimately fostering new women-centered identities. This work adds to the literature on gender and social movements by highlighting how experiences of living on the U.S./Mexico border generate political consciousness. Importantly, it asserts that residents at the border possess the agency to challenge and transform their situations.

Keywords

resistance; social movements; violence; transnationalism; globalization

Introduction

The U.S./Mexico border region has undergone significant economic and political shifts over the last 40 years, spurred by national and international agreements. These shifts have led to increased migration to both the United States and northern Mexico, thus amplifying needs for housing, health care, and education.
Because of intersecting structures of power, including capitalism and patriarchy, many Mexican border cities have failed to meet these essential needs, forcing residents to create solutions where the state has been unable or unwilling to act. This paper examines the Maclovio Rojas community through the oral narratives of women activists to explore how gendered state and domestic violence are negotiated and resisted in this context.

Theoretical Frameworks and Constructs

Oppositional Consciousness

In Maclovio Rojas, women activists have fostered an oppositional consciousness (Sandoval 2000) directed against both a neoliberal state and patriarchal violence. The author refers to the neoliberal state as one that is complicit with globalization, having enacted policies that result in structural violence (Segura and Zavella 2007).
Despite the challenges they face, these women have advocated for their rights to land, leading to the creation of safe spaces to support their communities.

Situated Context: Maclovio Rojas

The case study focuses on a community known as Maclovio Rojas, which is located between Tijuana and Tecate, Baja California. This community was formed on April 10, 1988, by 25 families investing in the fight for their rightful land. Historically, efforts to empower communities through urban popular movements (UPMs) have been more profoundly felt by women, who have been particularly affected by socioeconomic issues like housing and services, traditionally considered private household domains (Bennett 1992).

Historical Background of Maclovio Rojas

The Programa Nacional Fronterizo (PRONAF) initiated by the Mexican government in 1961 served to beautify border towns and encourage industrialization. The Border Industrialization Program (BIP) spawned the creation of the maquiladora industry in 1965, which led to a significant increase in migration towards these areas.
Over a 40-year span (1950-1990), the population in Mexican border states multiplied 3.6 times. NAFTA’s implementation in 1994 further exacerbated migration pressures and demonstrated stark contradictions between globalized rhetoric of a borderless society and the reality of strict border enforcement, such as Operation Gatekeeper.

Methodology

This work adopts Chicana feminist discourse to critique cultural and political conditions, which informs both the author's field position and data interpretation. Field research was conducted from September 2003 to September 2004, followed by additional engagement in summer 2006, consisting of participant observation, individual interviews, and a focus group within the Maclovio Rojas community.
The author highlights the vital role of women in leadership and activism, discovering that personal violence against women often coexists with their activist engagement.

Findings: Women as Change Agents

Active Participation in Struggle

Women in Maclovio Rojas claim that 80% of the community's activism has been driven by them. Motivated by necessity and a sense of duty to their families, leaders like Hortensia and Dora articulate the weight of their commitment, underscoring how personal and communal struggles intersect.

Intersection of Public and Internal Struggles

Women express solidarity and leverage their positioning within the community, realizing that engagement in activism allows for both public accountability and personal growth. As women's political consciousness deepens, domestic relationships are transformed, often resulting in separation from abusive partners who do not understand their work.

Internal Community Dynamics

As women expand their role within the social movement, tension builds in domestic spaces, often leading to escalating conflict with traditional gender roles. Many women separate from partners who resist their activism. Their community thereby becomes pivotal for solidarity and rebuilding self-esteem through collective experiences.

Impact of Activism

The Maclovio Rojas community navigates complex challenges stemming from state repression and the actions of transnational corporations. Notable incidences of conflict include police attempts to evict residents, which have sparked organized resistance. Despite facing lawsuits aimed at quelling their movement, leaders assert their resolve, and women embolden each other to confront both systemic and personal violence.

Conclusion: Rethinking Gender and Activism

This study illustrates the necessity to integrate gender into discussions about activism, particularly within contexts characterized by structural violence. As Chandra Mohanty posits, analysis should center the experiences of women in the Global South, which aids in transforming how we perceive globalization’s effects on marginalized communities. The intersections of this resistance uncover the resilience and agency of mujeres fronterizas, proving that transformation and self-determination are plausible even in the face of adversity.

Notes

  1. The need for a gender analysis in social movements has been critiqued in past studies, with scholars highlighting a need for disentangling how gender influences mobilization and strategies.
  2. The term "Mixteco" refers to Indigenous agricultural workers, often marginalized within the larger sociopolitical framework of Mexican society.
  3. The Zapatista movement and its implications for land rights and community organization provide a historical context validating grassroots activism.