"We are indigenous of the Purhepecha people" hegemony, multiculturalism and neoliberal reforms in Mexico

Neoliberal reforms in Mexico entailed a transition from a state-managed economic model to one oriented towards the free market. These reforms also triggered the dismantling of the corporate structures of the twentieth century. Some of these reforms, such as the amendments made to Articles 2 and 4 in the Constitution, officially recognized cultural diversity. Drawing from eighteen months of ethnographic fieldwork and six months of archival research, the aim of this article is to present the case study of a group of intellectuals from the locality of Cheran, Michoacan, who were trained during the decline of the post-revolutionary state and its clientelist practices. The members of this group managed to adapt to the neoliberal transition by shifting from political militants of a national movement that demanded democratization, universal citizenship, and rights, to managers of ethnicity who claimed the right to self-determination. By taking a group of intellectuals from Cheran as a case study, I intend to show the articulation between local and national political processes. The introduction of multicultural policies in Mexico is often hailed as a step towards ensuring greater respect for human rights. However, this paper argues that the implementation of multicultural policies, during a period of state reforms, ended up reinforcing political fragmentation given the different political processes at play at both the local and national level.