About the book
In 2022, journalists announced the impending economic death of a small Mexican town. Pisté, gateway to the famed Chichén Itzá archaeological site, would be circumvented by the Tren Maya commuter rail megaproject and, consequently, deprived of the promise of steady tourist traffic. Instead of ruminating with frustration, locals set to work on negotiations with the state and federal governments. Generations of experience taught them that pragmatic engagement with mainstream political parties was essential in turning into opportunity projects with the potential to kill the local economy.
Fernando Armstrong-Fumero situates the Tren Maya in a long history of roadbuilding and economic development on the Yucatán Peninsula beginning in the 1930s. Drawing together archival research and decades of ethnographic work, Armstrong-Fumero develops the concept of negative infrastructure to show how infrastructural and industrial investments configure rural economic futures as well as how communities seek to mitigate the harms from projects designed to benefit other regions or interests. The push and pull of development reveals the strategies residents use to influence political change through municipal elections and informal protest. Recognizing their life-changing potential, rural Maya Yucatecans recast infrastructural projects as new possibilities for inclusion, agency, and resistance as participants in formal state and economic structures.
Editions of Roads to Prosperity and Ruin
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781469691206
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781469691213
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469688015
- PDF
- ISBN 9781469691220
Read an Excerpt
In 2022, journalists announced the impending economic death of a small Mexican town. Pisté, gateway to the famed Chichén Itzá archaeological site, would be circumvented by the Tren Maya commuter rail megaproject and, consequently, deprived of the promise of steady tourist traffic. Instead of ruminating with frustration, locals set to work on negotiations with the state and federal governments. Generations of experience taught them that pragmatic engagement with mainstream political parties was essential in turning into opportunity projects with the potential to kill the local economy.
Fernando Armstrong-Fumero situates the Tren Maya in a long history of roadbuilding and economic development on the Yucatán Peninsula beginning in the 1930s. Drawing together archival research and decades of ethnographic work, Armstrong-Fumero develops the concept of negative infrastructure to show how infrastructural and industrial investments configure rural economic futures as well as how communities seek to mitigate the harms from projects designed to benefit other regions or interests. The push and pull of development reveals the strategies residents use to influence political change through municipal elections and informal protest. Recognizing their life-changing potential, rural Maya Yucatecans recast infrastructural projects as new possibilities for inclusion, agency, and resistance as participants in formal state and economic structures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Roads to Prosperity and Ruin about?
In 2022, journalists announced the impending economic death of a small Mexican town. Pisté, gateway to the famed Chichén Itzá archaeological site, would be circumvented by the Tren Maya commuter rail megaproject and, consequently, deprived of the promise of steady tourist traffic. Instead of ruminating with frustration, locals set to work on negotiations with the state and federal governments. Generations of experience taught them that pragmatic engagement with mainstream political parties was essential in turning into opportunity projects with the potential to kill the local economy.
Fernando Armstrong-Fumero situates the Tren Maya in a long history of roadbuilding and economic development on the Yucatán Peninsula beginning in the 1930s. Drawing together archival research and decades of ethnographic work, Armstrong-Fumero develops the concept of negative infrastructure to show how infrastructural and industrial investments configure rural economic futures as well as how communities seek to mitigate the harms from projects designed to benefit other regions or interests. The push and pull of development reveals the strategies residents use to influence political change through municipal elections and informal protest. Recognizing their life-changing potential, rural Maya Yucatecans recast infrastructural projects as new possibilities for inclusion, agency, and resistance as participants in formal state and economic structures.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Roads to Prosperity and Ruin?
Society and Social Sciences > Sociology and anthropology > Anthropology
Where can I read a sample of Roads to Prosperity and Ruin?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781469691206
How long is Roads to Prosperity and Ruin and how many pages does it have?
Roads to Prosperity and Ruin has 246 page(s)
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Roads to Prosperity and Ruin?
Fernando Armstrong-Fumero
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Roads to Prosperity and Ruin is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781469691206) and paperback(ISBN 9781469691213) and ebook(ISBN 9781469688015) and pdf(ISBN 9781469691220)
Where can I buy Roads to Prosperity and Ruin online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Roads to Prosperity and Ruin from below
Where can I buy Roads to Prosperity and Ruin?