Land and Freedom: The MST, the Zapatistas and Peasant Alternatives to Neoliberalism - Softcover

Vergara-Camus, Leandro

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1780327420 ISBN 13: 9781780327426

Publisher: Zed Books, 2014

Synopsis

The Zapatistas of Chiapas and the Landless Workers Movement (MST) of Brazil are often celebrated as shining examples in the global struggle against Neoliberalism. But what have these movements achieved in more than two decades of resistance and can any of these achievements realistically contribute to an alternative development future?

Through a perfect balance of grassroots testimonies, participative observation and consideration of key development and critical political economy debates, Land and Freedom compares, for the first time, the Zapatista and MST movements. Casting a spotlight on their resistance to globalising market forces Vergara-Camus gets to the heart of how these movements organise themselves and how the decommodification of social relations is key to understanding their radical development potential.

About this title

About the Author:

Leandro Vergara-Camus teaches development at SOAS, London, UK. His work focuses on the Latin American left, peasant agriculture, and the history of land struggles over property rights in Latin America.

Review:

'This book represents an important new take on two emblematic Latin American social movements. While most scholarship has analyzed each of them separately, from a variety of disciplinary viewpoints, few have compared and contrasted them, despite the similar impact they have both had on movement thinking worldwide. This book is particularly refreshing, in that it is perhaps the only major piece of scholarship to compare them through the lens of peasant studies.' Peter Rosset, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), Chiapas, Mexico, and the Land Research Action Network (LRAN) 'Today's historic struggle by peasants, indigenous peoples and rural workers is for an alternative to neoliberal globalization. This book engagingly and vividly gives voice to the subaltern classes and their collective effort to create new communities and solidarity networks. This is indeed a ground-breaking and compelling work.' Cristobal Kay, International Institute of Social Studies, The Hague 'The appeal of this book lies in its comprehensive comparison of two quite distinct agrarian social movements within the current neoliberal conjuncture. Vergara-Camus casts a critical lens on a grounded historical analysis of these two iconic struggles, their political, economic, cultural and institutional relations, and their successes and failures. This is a path-breaking contribution to the "peasant question".' Philip McMichael, Cornell University, author of Food Regimes and Agrarian Questions 'In this provocative and unique book, Vergara-Camus compares and contrasts the important new models of socioeconomic interaction the rural poor of Brazil and Mexico have developed through collective action. Within the context of capitalist hegemony, unprecedented wealth concentration and the spread of authoritarian regimes, Vergara-Camus demonstrates how two large peasant movements have worked to construct alternative egalitarian societies, where the cash nexus does not reign supreme, making the book essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary radical social change.' Clifford Andrew Welch, Sao Paulo Federal University 'Land and Freedom offers an original and compelling theory of peasant struggles that challenge neoliberal globalization. Vergara-Camus aptly compares the contributions of MST and EZLN to contest neoliberal hegemony from the ground up. They have empowered the diverse peasant class they represent as educators in citizenship, class power and self-government for the subaltern classes. A must read for students of development.' Professor Gerardo Otero, Simon Fraser University 'This is a fundamental book for anyone who wants to understand the anti-capitalist path created by contemporary peasant rebellions. Vergara-Camus examines the impact of land struggles which, in the 1990s, challenged the "neoliberal consensus" in Mexico and Brazil. These movements have given the world a new political language, and have won a more dignified life for their impoverished members.' Debora Lerrer, Centre for Development, Agriculture and Society, Rio de Janeiro

About this edition

• Publisher: Zed Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1780327420
• ISBN 13: 9781780327426
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368