Mexico: Grassroots Development and Social Change

Program Overview

Witness Mexico at a critical juncture where sharp contrasts between privilege and poverty, and modernity and indigenous traditions collide in responses to the nation's ongoing struggles for justice and democratic change. In southern Mexico, grassroots political groups such as the Zapatistas have attracted international attention to this largely impoverished region’s struggles, and the broad-based People's Popular Assembly of Oaxaca (APPO) gives voice to citizens' consistent demands for welfare, peace, and justice.

This program focuses on the history, impact, and potential of grassroots movements in determining Mexico's social, economic, and political future by facilitating student immersion and active engagement with local Oaxacan nongovernmental organizations. Participation in a service learning practicum furthers understanding of the complex realities of Mexican culture, with its variety of indigenous traditions, legacy of Spanish colonial rule, significance as a center of multicultural expression, and responses to US presence.

Browse this program's Independent Study Projects/Undergraduate Research