LACS 30.26 Social Movements in Latin America
Social movements have long been a critical component of the social, cultural and political landscape across Latin America. From defying authoritarian rule, to resisting austerity measures, to pushing for LGBTQI and indigenous rights, collective action in the form of protests, demonstrations, and direct action, among other methods, is part and parcel of popular political expression across the region. Within this unique socio-political history, rural peasants (campesinos) and landless workers have long occupied a prominent position, garnering transnational support for causes that fight for environmental injustice, reject neoliberalism and claim rights to land where such rights have long been denied. This course will examine a variety of social movements--from the MST in Brazil, to the Zapatistas in Mexico, to indigenous groups in Paraguay--to understand how they operate both “within and against the state” (Ellner et al. 2022) to chart new social, cultural, political and ecological pathways. Through a combination of documentaries, academic articles, and books, the course material will show how anti-colonial and anti-neoliberal critiques are operationalized through these movements as a way to preserve critical and culturally-significant environmental resources, assert collective rights, and build actual alternatives with implications for landless and indigenous people throughout Latin America and beyond.
Department-Specific Course Categories
Latin American Latino and Caribbean Studies