"Toma‐La Ciudad" : Intersubjective Activism in Guadalajara's Streets and City Museum

Abstract

In autumn 2013, an activist network in Guadalajara, Mexico, mounted a museum exhibition, carried out interventions in city streets, and organized various events to persuade urban dwellers and government officials to address problems in the metropolis. The mostly middle-class activists used the phrase “Toma-la Ciudad” (Take the City) to encourage urban dwellers to engage in organized civil society efforts that would have the potential to reshape Guadalajara. Based on ethnographic fieldwork among participating groups, this article introduces the concept of “intersubjective activism” and employs it as a means by which to analyze the uses of and references to sensory experiences of the city. By inciting empathic responses toward how others experience the city, activists sought to break down some of the barriers that characterize Mexico’s inequalities. They also appeared to have learned lessons from previous forms of activism in which violent protests did not achieve their desired goals.