Robert G. Finbow, The Limits of Regionalism: NAFTA's Labour Accord (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2006), pp. xiii+300, £55.00, hb.
Guadalupe Catholics or the author herself. Another significant theme of the book is the way Guadalupe Catholics strive to construct a Catholic neighbourhood community in the semi-urban setting. Kovic shows the continuous importance of the community for the expelled Catholics, who have been accused of destroying community ties. To the contrary, Kovic says, ‘ the expelled do not reject the concept of community cohesion – they embrace it ’ (p. 129). She does not address the rather obvious question, however, on how the conversions affected the sense of cohesion and reciprocal duties in the home communities of the expelled. If she wanted to avoid providing fuel to the fire, she could refer to other Maya municipalities where conversions that initially created conflict have led not to expulsions but agreements on mutual respect. Kovic convincingly shows the continuing emphasis among the expelled on unity, mutual responsibilities and respect. At the same time, she argues, there are important changes taking place, as the expelled are reassessing the value of certain traditions of their communities of origin, such as the use of alcohol, which is banned, and gender roles. Importantly, the community of Guadalupe Catholics has formed networks with other Mayas, mostly within the broader community of the Catholic diocese but also with expelled Protestants. Kovic shows how these networks give political and social strength to the community members and help them navigate within the urban and national arena, constituting themselves as active and demanding participants. With this ethnography, Kovic provides valuable knowledge for the more general understanding of how indigenous men and women emigrating to cities throughout Latin America create new forms of communities and networks which to some extent build on rural community models but are trans-local and often trans-ethnic and even ‘ trans-religious ’. The construction of these urban indigenous communities is highly powerful in San Cristóbal, which has received a vast number of Mayas looking for means to support themselves during the last few decades. These Maya newcomers and their various religious, political and economic associations are playing an increasing role not only for the migrants but for town life as a whole. In conclusion, this is a fine monograph, providing a powerful demonstration of the great potentiality of the rights concept and of communal organisation among indigenous migrants. The book is written with sensitive and nuanced descriptions of the lives and concerns of Guadalupe Catholics, who come to life, both as individual men and women and as a group of marginalised poor, struggling for change.