Event description
The PRI – Institutional Revolutionary Party – held power in Mexico for seventy uninterrupted years, ending in the year 2000, during which time it presided over the longest period of political stability and one of the longest periods of economic prosperity the country has ever known. Its enigmatic and controversial rule was described in the late 80’s as “The Perfect Dictatorship”, an epithet that has become synonymous with the regime ever since. However, bundling the PRI’s rule under the blanket term of “dictatorship” is a convenient albeit inaccurate simplification of a highly complex form of government. I believe the PRI can and must be understood beyond the confines of its authoritarianism and admittedly tarnished human rights record. In understanding the PRI with this lens, the question arises as to how the regime managed to successfully hold power for such a prolonged period of time, particularly within an electoral system that saw growing electoral participation and multi-party competition over the course of the Party’s rule.
This presentation will focus on the party’s exploitation of secrecy and rumors, specifically in the context of the sexennial presidential succession process. I will argue, first, that the PRI made deliberate use of secrecy and theatricality to stage the Party’s access to a restricted power that could legitimize their position. Second, that it leveraged societal-born rumors – as opposed to rumors machinated by the regime – to inform their actions and claims in that staging. To this end, I will define a broad theoretical framework of rumor as a collaborative interpretation process in the face of uncertainty, expanding on the work of past scholars. Subsequently, I will apply the framework to a specific rumor that appeared in the 1988 succession process and study the way in which it informed the Party’s successive actions.
In line with the Graduate Institute's COVID-19 regulations, physical attendance to this event has been limited to members of the International History Department (Students and Staff).
About the Brunches
The History Brunches are a series of gatherings by members of the International History Department. The concept of the Brunches is as simple as it is effective: professors, visiting researchers and students are invited to present their projects in front of a small audience. Taking place about 3-4 times per semester since 2015, the brunches have become a forum for intellectual exchange that offer presenters an opportunity to test their ideas in a friendly environment.