The Symbolic sources of political inequality

The role of representations and policies in the exclusion of the poor

Abstract

The economistic approaches that have predominated in studies on poverty and inequality do not allow us to understand the effects of these problems on the political capabilities of individuals, nor the role played by political power in the preservation of an unequal social order. The purpose of this paper is to delve into the relationship between poverty and political inequality based on a historical review of three periods of the twentieth century in Mexico.  The analysis showed that the persistence of inequality in Mexico during the twentieth century was due to the role played by elites in the formation and reproduction of representations of the poor that legitimized difference and denied their political capabilities. This in turn has made it difficult for the poor to organize themselves and has perpetuated relationships based on tutelage and clientelism that deepen political inequality.