Biographies of Emigrant Politicization

Using comparative qualitative methods based on extensive field research, this chapter examines the process through which 10 migrants became politically engaged and influential actors in their home communities. The analysis shows that the most influential migrant political actors from the state of Oaxaca have entered the fray in opposition to dominant powers back home. In contrast, the migrants who have been most influential in the states of Guanajuato and Zacatecas have tended to be mobilized by and act in support of the dominant parties in their states. The institutionalization of the state–migrant relationship in Guanajuato and Zacatecas facilitates migrant social and political engagement with governing parties. In contrast, the exclusion of migrants from influence in Oaxaca helps explain why migrants often oppose the governing party; and their experiences of exploitation and resistance as migrants in Mexico and California radicalized many of the most influential migrant leaders.