Mexicans and “Business as Usual”

Abstract

Although the past two decades have witnessed the growth of scholarly attention to Latino political mobilization in U.S. national elections, big cities, and rural areas, less attention has been directed to this phenomenon in small cities and towns. This article queries whether small jurisdictional cities and special districts in the United States have an impact on Mexican political mobilization and whether the size of jurisdictional area facilitates or impedes political mobilization. The article examines the factors inherent in governmental areas small in size and population that affect political mobilization. In order to answer these questions, we identify two alternative theories of small unit politics in the United States and examine Mexican mobilization in one small city, Woodburn, Oregon. We investigate Mexican attempts to influence the Woodburn policy agenda in the areas of housing and education. We conclude by considering which theories of small-unit politics best explain our findings.