There is a tendency – visible among both Latin American governers as well as multilateral institutions – to view conflict as a problem, to condemn social mobilization as illegitimate and politically manipulated, and to denigrate those who protest as ill-informed. Yet such views are historically and theoretically ill-informed – for, without wishing to transpose a European model onto Latin American societies, it is the case that many of the inclusion-enhancing and redistributive institutions of social democracy have been won through mobilization and conflict rather than built through elite philanthropy or technocratic engineering. This important collection argues persuasively why mobilization and movements can and should be seen as important processes in the consolidation and deepening of Latin American democracies. The region’s elites and international institutions ignore the book’s important messages not so much at their own peril, but rather to the detriment of the quality of institution building and democratization in the region. One can only hope that they read these pages carefully and in detail. Required reading for all who profess commitment to a socially inclusive Latin America.
Anthony Bebbington, Professor of Nature, Society and Development, University of Manchester, UK