Careers and Influence in a Mexican City

The Case of Secondary School Teachers

Bibliographic Data

ID6013095
AuthorsErve Chambers (University of South Florida, corresponding author)
Year1979
Volume1
Issue1
Pages15-35
Publication date1979-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCentral Issues in Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0739-7917 • E-ISSN: 1937-6227
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1525/cia.1979.1.1.15
OpenAlexW2122398844
LanguageEN
References cited13

Anthony Leeds observed more than a decade ago, that the ways in which careers are structured in modern societies provide important clues to the social organization and development of those societies. This paper is concerned with the relationship between career patterns, class background, and personalistic values among urban Mexican schoolteachers. Informal relationships with persons of influence (palancas) are described as an example of how values of personalism can be adapted to modern social environments. The patterning of palanca ties differs between teachers from lower and middle class backgrounds, with teachers from lower class backgrounds demonstrating a significantly greater acceptance of these relatively new kinds of relationships. Similarities and differences between the findings of this research and Leeds' study of Brazilian career patterns are discussed

Class (philosophy · Epistemology · Middle class · Personalism · Political science · Social class · Sociology · Education in Rural Contexts · Higher Education Research Studies · Law · School Choice and Performance

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