ABSTRACT
In spite of being based on studies carried out in a different continent, this work shares with Michaud and Forsyth’s two core ideas: a) particular ethnic groups within urban contexts develop quite specific patterns of social vulnerability; and b) sustainable livelihood studies have retained their relevance despite the critiques because they remain a useful lens for analysing how macro-and mesosocial forces constrain individual agency and opportunities. From a consideration of the central role of young breadwinners in terms of the inter-generational reproduction of poverty,2 this chapter analyses a particular ethnic group and the stage of the household cycle in order to better understand peri-urban livelihoods of Mayan families in a Mexican city. In so doing, it seeks to make a contribution to a renewed tradition of research on poor households’ livelihoods from a perspective that values ethnic diversity as a key dimension of their social vulnerability.
