Striving for Control: Democracy and Oligarchy at a Mexican Cooperative

Abstract

This article contributes to the analysis of cooperativism, showing that the cooperative workplace is neither fully democratic nor oligarchic, but rather is the site of contestation between these two tendencies. Through a case study of a large industrial cooperative in Mexico City, the author shows how the interaction between the organizational structure, participatory culture and individual behavior enhance both democracy and oligarchy. This is observed as workers attempt to maintain control over their representatives, partake in the politics of the process of nomination and participate at the general assembly. The author argues that a paradoxical perspective permits a better understanding of the complexities inherent in the dynamic and paradoxical character of cooperatives.