Latin American Social Movements and Progressive Governments

Reviews / Votes

This book makes an important contribution to understanding the relationship between the so-called 'Pink Tide' of left-leaning governments and the social movements in Latin America. The editors aim to move beyond the binary understanding of social movements in the region as being either completely autonomous or controlled by the state. The book also seeks to present social movements as more than a clash between progressive governments and a conservative, or neo-liberal, opposition.... [This] book is thought-provoking and timely, as it calls for a rethink of the existing literature on social movements in Latin America. Tellingly, it is published as part of the Rowman & Littlefield series 'Latin American Perspectives in the Classroom', and one can easily see how any of its chapters would offer an excellent starting-point for a rich class discussion. Its contribution is important, particularly as it features scholars from the region and findings from recent fieldwork. In the fast-paced political environment of the last few years, the book remains relevant after going to press which, given its thematic area, is no small feat. * International Affairs * This volume is indispensable for going beyond facile interpretations from the Right and segments of the Left that dismiss the Pink Tide as merely populism or not left enough. It is also a corrective to positions that imagine the possibility of a politics without the state or invariably imperfect political parties. As Munck argues in conclusion, it is not a matter of wholly supporting progressive governments, but of "at least starting from the premise that they are not the main enemy of social movements." * NACLA Report on the Americas * Pragmatic and nuanced, Ellner, Munck, and Sankey's edited volume does an excellent job of grappling with Latin America's social movements' often contradictory dance between autonomy and engagement with the region's left-wing governments. Country study chapters substantiate the book's conclusions by teasing out these complexities. -- Linda Farthing, co-author of Coup: A Story of Violence and Resistance in Bolivia This collection deftly captures the many paradoxes that govern Latin American politics, including the mutually dependent relationship between the state and social movements. The editors-Steve Ellner, Ronaldo Munck, and Kyla Sankey-have provided a work of essential reading for anyone who wants to understand Latin America today. -- Greg Grandin, Yale University Framed with conceptually engaging essays by some of the leading scholars in the field, this impressive volume offers a state-of-the-art primer on the dynamic relations between progressive states and new social movements in twenty-first-century Latin America. Broad enough to embrace the significantly different regimes that have been viewed as representatives of Latin America's embattled but resilient Pink Tide, this unique collaboration effectively dissects the 'creative tensions' that have imbricated states and social movements in Pink Tide and neoliberal politics. It makes clear that an earlier generation of scholarship that stressed the autonomy of social movements must be reassessed. Not least, this collection's ability to render complex political phenomena in very clear terms will make it indispensable for undergraduate courses on contemporary Latin America. -- Gilbert M. Joseph, co-author of Mexico's Once and Future Revolution: Social Upheaval and the Challenge of Rule since the Late Nineteenth Century