Resumo

ANTE-LEZAMA, Minerva  e  GONZALEZ-VILLANUEVA, Marina. Community life perceived by young people in a region in agricultural-industrial transition. Interdisciplinaria [online]. 2022, vol.39, n.2, pp.281-296.  Epub 25-Mar-2022. ISSN 1668-7027.  http://dx.doi.org/10.16888/interd.2022.39.2.18.

From a capitalist point of view, pre-industrial communities are a rich source of cheap labour and resources, which could be put to profitable use if industrialised. This is normally presented politically as bringing the modern world’s quality of life improvements to impoverished and struggling communities, or more crudely as modernising “backward” modes of societies. Certain regions of Mexico, such as El Bajío (Central North-West of Mexico) represent territories in transition from an agricultural to industrial economy; with an important growing automotive sector among others; one of the largest increases in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and important effects on community relations. The Bajío represents a region characterized by a significant number of sources of employment in the industry, tax incentives from the State, low wages and the absence of strikes. The Castro del Río Tecnoindustrial Park (PTCR) was built more than a decade ago, during the boom of the automotive industry in the region, and, as indicated by its official website, it houses 72 companies from 6 different countries, has a “young and abundant workforce: more than 700 thousand inhabitants in a radius of 20 kilometres", and a "Public Training Institute for technicians through the CONALEP Castro del Río campus, located within the park". Most of the communities affected by this technological development have incipient urban development, with limited access to basic services such as drainage or drinking water, no or limited common spaces for social interaction, recreation and sports, and little or no health, education and cultural equipment. The inhabitants of these communities work in the fields, construction, or as labourers in the PTCR companies. The aim of this study was to examine the perception of youth about the labor, community and gender relational dynamics in the context of the agricultural-industrial transition of their localities, due to the insertion of the PTCR. A concurrent mixed study was carried out over three months by applying a questionnaire, discussion groups and semi-structured interviews. Among the main findings, the following stand out: 1) A paradigm shift was detected in terms of the perspective of work in young people, although the memory of previous community productive forms persists; Likewise, important perceptions about labor rights and agency are detected in relation to formal and salaried work and an awareness of the notorious forms of labor abuse in factories; 2) A relevance of the management holidays and common spaces was identified, which in some communities are scarce, as significant spaces for interaction, collaboration community and sense of place; 3) Tensions are perceived in gender relations due to the entry of women in to the industrial work environment and diverse expressions of their autonomy that are opposed to sexist beliefs and expectations on the part of older men. Young women’s career, work, and recreational expectations are viewed as negative and undesirable. The reported study made it possible to visualise the perceptions of youth about the relationships affected by the agricultural-industrial transition of their communities. Some limitations identified are related to the short time available to the team to carry out the study, the unsafe conditions in the area derived from organised crime. It is relevant to continue this study and delve into the aspects analysed. It is viewed as a prospective investigation to return to the communities and carry out a new study to analyse the three types of relationships and the role played by ICTs, the increasingly widespread pro-gender equality discourse, as well as the changes that appear in perspectives 3 years after the first study.

Palavras-chave : youth; communities; community development; industrialisation; gender relationships.

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