El discurso del milagro y la política

El movimiento social de Atenco

Abstract

The discourse of the miracle and politics. Atenco’s social movement. This article is a reflection on the way the discourse of the miracle and its rules form the vision of the politics of some social movements that generate in popular sectors in Mexico. The case that allows the above mentioned reflection is the fight of the population of Atenco against the expropriation of their lands before the possible construction of a new airport for Mexico City, which began in October, 2001 with the presidential decree of expropriation and “ended” successfully in August, 2002 with the derogation of the above mentioned decree. The authoress analyzes on the one hand, the way how certain religious practices tied to the discourse of the miracle helped to shape their strategies of union and mobilization and, on the other hand, she studies the speeches of different members of the Movement to understand the different significance they granted to the people’s fight and to its success as a miracle.