Showing papers by "Universidad Iberoamericana Ciudad de México published in 2023"

«Cumplir, aunque sea de manera diferente»: Expresiones de la devoción en la celebración digital del Señor de Gracias en Tepexpan, Estado de México / «Fulfill, even if in a different way»: Expressions of devotion in the digital celebration of the Lord of Graces in Tepexpan, State of Mexico

Abstract: En este texto se describen los cambios y adaptaciones de las expresiones devocionales surgidas por la epidemia de COVID-19 durante la festividad del Señor de Gracias en el pueblo de Tepexpan, Estado de México. El acercamiento a la red social Facebook permitió la consolidación de una comunidad virtual motivada por una celebración digital. En dicha red se socializaron nuevas expresiones devocionales, algunas identificadas como características de la personificación y presentificación basadas en los elementos materiales que se utilizan en la danza de los serranos. Estas nuevas formas de expresar la devoción muestran que la relación entre los habitantes y el santo se mantienen a pesar de las circunstancias, pero traen consigo una serie de preguntas sobre el futuro de las festividades patronales y los efectos que pueden tener en las prácticas devocionales al hacerlo por medios digitales como Facebook. Abstract: This text describes the changes and adaptations of devotional expressions arising from the COVID-19 epidemic during the festivity of the Señor de Gracias in the town of Tepexpan, State of Mexico. The approach to the socio-digital platform Facebook allowed the consolidation of a «virtual community» motivated by a «digital celebration». In this socio-digital platform new devotional expressions were socialized, some identified as characteristics of «personification» and «presentification» based on the material elements used in the Serranos dance. These new ways of expressing devotion show that the relationship between the inhabitants and the saint are maintained in spite of the circumstances, but bring with them a series of questions about the future of the patron saint festivities and the effects they may have on devotional practices by doing so through digital media such as Facebook.Keywords: virtual community; digital celebration; devotion; Tepexpan; State of Mexico.Résumé : Ce texte décrit les changements et les adaptations des expressions dévotionnelles découlant de l’épidémie de COVID-19 pendant la fête du Señor de Gracias dans la ville de Tepexpan, État du Mexique. L’approche de la plateforme socio-numérique Facebook a permis la consolidation d’une « communauté virtuelle » motivée par une « fête numérique ». Sur cette plateforme socio-numérique, de nouvelles expressions dévotionnelles ont été socialisées, certaines identifiées comme des caractéristiques de « personnification » et de « présentification » basées sur les éléments matériels utilisés dans la danse des Serranos. Ces nouveaux modes d’expression de la dévotion montrent que la relation entre les habitants et le saint est maintenue malgré les circonstances, mais amènent une série de questions sur l’avenir des fêtes patronales et les effets qu’elles peuvent avoir sur les pratiques de dévotion en le faisant par le biais de médias numériques tels que Facebook.Mots-clés : communauté virtuelle ; célébration numérique ; dévotion ; Tepexpan ; État du Mexique.

Governed bodies, discarded bodies: Notes for an analysis of contemporary migrations during Covid-19

Abstract: This article presents the results of an ethnographic research conducted in the northern border of Mexico from 2019 to 2021, specifically in the city of Tijuana. The objective of this article is to analyse the role of bodies in border and migration management with special emphasis on the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. To do so, I focus on three situations. First is the case of migrants whose bodies are exploited in the precarious work opportunities they find along Mexico’s northern border. Second, I look at migrants who experience detention and confinement in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detention centres in the United States. And third, I analyse the situation of missing migrants whose bodies are sought by family members and numerous collectives in Mexico. Through the analysis of these situations, the article demonstrates that by using ‘bodies’ as a productive category for analysing migration and the containment of migratory movements, we can understand both the resulting negative effects on migrants’ subjectivity and bodies and how migrants respond to and challenge the global migration system.

Critical Approaches to Private Education in the Global South

Abstract: This article highlights the key themes that animate the critical discourse on private education initiatives targeting poor children in the Global South. Scholars in the field uniformly reject the idea that public-private partnerships, independent private schools, and various subsidy and voucher programs are best suited to addressing underlying issues of equity and quality that plague public education systems in developing world contexts. But they tend to adopt one of two markedly different lines of analysis in drawing attention to the issue. Some scholars, for instance, use empirical evidence to show how low-fee private schools fall short of delivering on promises to address the needs of all children and enhancing basic literacy and numeracy scores in comparison to public schools. Other scholars, however, prefer to map elaborate networks of people and money to reveal how private education in the Global South is guided by power and profit. The paper outlines the moral and analytic interests that guide these two approaches to the challenge private education presents, while also making the case for an additional mode of analysis that would test the democratic and social justice claims that feature in mission statements of larger foundations and institutions that operate in vulnerable societies.