This collection of essays explores different aspects of political and regional cultures, territorialization and identity both in Mexican society and among Mexican-American communities in the United States. The book examines current debates related to the articulation between the production of local identities and global processes such as the international market, ecological issues and transnational migration. The effects of globalization are explored in the light of the recent developments in political movements in the Chiapas region, as well as significant changes in traditional political systems of caciquismo and patronage. This volume also addresses the question of the identity of Mexican anthropology and points out some of its roots in European and North American social science studies. The material will be of interest to anthropologists, geographers, political scientists and historians concerned with the formation and reproduction of Mexican society, as well as specialists in Mexico and Latin America. The contributors are Lourdes Arizpe, Gabriel Ascencio Franco*, Danièle Dehouve Santos*, John Gledhill, Rosalva Aída Hernández Castillo, Françoise Lestage*, Xochitl Leyva Solano, Thierry Linck*, Valentina Napolitano*, Ronald Nigh, Marièlle Pepin-Lehalleur*, Susana Rostas, and Robert C. Smith. (* Chapters in Spanish).