Battle in the Streets, Battle in the Press: Elite Framing of Protest in Mexico

• In Event: The Politics of Urban Exclusion and Subnational Social Policy in Latin America: New Research Agendas

Abstract

While the efforts made by protesters to frame their struggles have been analyzed in depth, attempts to influence the perception of protesters by state actors – who are thought to have the upper hand in getting their messages across in the media – have been virtually ignored. Using subnational data on protest and response in Mexico, this paper systematically explores elite efforts to symbolically manage protest. Specifically, the paper creates a typology of symbolic gesture made by elites and then assesses the extent to which structural characteristics, such as levels of subnational democracy and state capacity, as well as protest characteristics, such as the composition of actors, the goals, and the tactics, influence the use and type of symbolic gestures. The analysis contributes to our understanding of elite actors’ use of the media to influence public perceptions of protest. In addition, the paper deepens our understanding of subnational politics and the ways that variations in state-level regimes affect political outcomes.

Author

• Heather A Sullivan, Hamilton College