Action, public arenas and grammars in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec

Abstract

The work constructs a pragmatic interpretation based on the content analysis of various academic articles, digital materials, and press releases produced by different sociopolitical actors regarding the implementation of the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. To this end, it uses as a pretext the reference to the model of “cités” made by geographers interested in clientelism and corporatism in the region (Prevot Shapira; 2009; Leonard, 2009). From this perspective, it describes and interprets the implementation of the mega-project through a grammatical analysis of the public arena, grammars, and action regimes that guide moral justifications and practices of the actors in this public issue. More specifically, it describes the publicity of the implementation of a development policy, which adjusts according to the obstacles to its territorialization. The analysis records the asymmetry of the narratives and grammatical narratives used in the debate, especially the sociopolitical regimes that constrain the action of corporate and state actors, and the resistance of some opposing movements to the state implementation of the mega-project.