Throughout Latin America, social movements – collections of people gathered together to achieve change – extend democratic participation far beyond the ballot box. From the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo in Argentina and the Landless Workers Movement of Brazil, to the Indigenous March for Territory and Dignity in Bolivia, and the struggles of the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, social movements have challenged governments and institutional authority across the region, and transformed political possibilities for those who had previously been excluded from power. In this course, we will examine how social movements negotiate with and relate to national governments, how they convince national populations of their legitimacy, and how they challenge the legitimacy of elected and unelected leaders.
- Teacher: Chuck Sturtevant