Abstract

HEVIA DE LA JARA, Felipe. Society-State Relations: Interactive Analysis for an Anthropology of the State. Espiral (Guadalaj.) [online]. 2009, vol.15, n.45, pp.43-70. ISSN 1665-0565.

Mexican political anthropology has dealt with the study of the contemporary States from at least three perspectives: interethnic relations, juridical anthropology and "formation of the State." Showing the potentialities and limitations thereof, the present article conveys a different approach targeted to the analysis of the interactions between society and the State, which relies on four fundamental premises: it is focused on the actors and it rescues their complexity and diversity; the spaces of interaction constitute the nodal points of observation since in them the strategies are developed and the social relations that the actors construct among themselves are updated; the implementation of the policy proves as important as, or even more important than, its design in order to explain its impacts and effects; and the interactions generate consequences - both intentional and unintentional - and impacts on the social and state actors that must be carefully characterized.

Keywords : relaciones sociedad-Estado; Estado-definición; sociedad civil; políticas públicas; etnografía institucional.