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Albuquerque Teachers' Institute Seminar, 1999

The Political Cultures of New Mexico

Felipe Gonzales
Department of Sociology Social Sciences Bldg. 1103
Phone: 505-277-3465
e-mail gonzales@unm.edu

Seminar Description

The casinos, the Oate controversy, the Hispanic Culture Center, the land grants issue, the proposal for a Holocaust memorial, bilingual education, protests over WIPP, the Johnson- Sanchez-Aragon show .... Perhaps our state is no different from many others, but cursory attention to the news will tell anyone that some pretty interesting politics happen in New Mexico.

The issues mentioned stem from the special conditions of political culture that arise in New Mexico's pluralistic society. "Politics" generally means any organized effort by a collectivity to compete for or meet the interests of its members. "Culture" generally means the customs, norms, identities, and understandings that groups develop as their members work together and compete with others. This seminar will explore some of the principal arenas of political culture in New Mexico, seeking to clarify the various meanings of the concept "political culture."

We will begin by inquiring into the pockets of culture that can arise within the conventional electoral and governing system of the state. Governor Toney Anaya once called New Mexico a "banana republic" for its way of doing politics. We will try to determine whether New Mexico does indeed have a distinctive way of being political. It is true that localities and sub-regions within the state exhibit their own cultural ways of doing things? The seminars will go on to trace the contributions made by various ethnic groups, examining such matters as the distribution of participation at different levels of power and the ways that cultural diversity contributes to New Mexico's identity as a state in both public relations and policy formation. We shall seek to define the Indian reservation, the Hispanic land grant, and even the public school system and the school itself as sites of political intrigue and relations. Outside speakers, special readings, reference to current events, and a field trip or two will enhance our discussions.

1. New Mexico: The Setting.
2. Defining "politics," "culture," and "political culture." The History of New Mexico politics.
3. Understanding New Mexico's Government. Does Governor Johnson have a cultural style?
4. What kinds of cultural style can we detect in New Mexico's legislature?
5. The public school system and the public school as political entities.
6. Bilingual education: How is politics involved?
7. The bilingual education lawsuit against APS
8. The Land Grant as a political unit. Guest speaker.
9. The Hispanic political community in New Mexico
10. The Indian Reservation as a political unit.