This handbook covers social movement activities in Latin American countries that have had
profound consequences on the political culture of the region. It examines the developments of
the past twenty years such as a renewed upswing in popular mobilization the ending of violent
conflicts and military governments new struggles and a relatively more democratic climate. It
shows that from southern Chiapas to Argentina social movements in the 1990s and especially in
the 2000s have reached new heights of popular participation. There is a lack of research on
the politics of this region in the contemporary era of globalization this volume partially
fills the void and offers a rich resource to students scholars and the general public in terms
of understanding the politics of mass mobilization in the early twenty-first century. The
contributors each address social movement activity in their own nation and together they
present a multidisciplinary perspective on the topic. Each chapter uses a case study design to
bring out the most prominent attributes of the particular social struggle(s) for instance the
main protagonists in the campaigns the grievances of the population and the outcomes of the
struggles. This Handbook is divided into seven substantive themes providing overall coherence
to a broad range of social conflicts across countries issues and social groups. These themes
include: 1) theory of Latin American social movements 2) neoliberalism 3) indigenous
struggles 4) women's movements 5) movements and the State 6) environmental movements and 7)
transnational mobilizations.
