Book, "Twentieth-Century Latin American Revolutions" by Marc Becker

:::::::::: Book :::::::::: 

PURCHASE THIS EDITION 

Twentieth-Century Latin American Revolutions (Latin American Perspectives in the Classroom) by Marc Becker

Revolutions are a commonly studied but only vaguely understood historical phenomenon. This clear and concise text extends our understanding with a critical narrative analysis of key case studies: the 1910–1920 Mexican Revolution; the 1944–1954 Guatemalan Spring; the 1952–1964 MNR-led revolution in Bolivia; the Cuban Revolution that triumphed in 1959; the 1970–1973 Chilean path to socialism; the leftist Sandinistas in Nicaragua in power from 1979–1990; failed guerrilla movements in Colombia, El Salvador, and Peru; and the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela after Hugo Chávez’s election in 1998. Historian Marc Becker opens with a theoretical introduction to revolutionary movements, including a definition of what “revolution” means and an examination of factors necessary for a revolution to succeed. He analyzes revolutions through the lens of those who participated and explores the sociopolitical conditions that led to a revolutionary situation, the differing responses to those conditions, and the outcomes of those political changes. Each case study provides an interpretive explanation of the historical context in which each movement emerged, its main goals and achievements, its shortcomings, its outcome, and its legacy. The book concludes with an analysis of how elected leftist governments in the twenty-first century continue to struggle with issues that revolutionaries confronted throughout the twentieth century.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 272 • Trim: 6 1/4 x 9 1/4

978-1-4422-6586-8 • Hardback • June 2017 • $85.00 • (£54.95)

978-1-4422-6587-5 • Paperback • June 2017 • $30.00 • (£19.95)

978-1-4422-6588-2 • eBook • June 2017 • $28.00 • (£18.95)

Book, Twentieth-Century Latin American Revolutions

:::::: Book ::::::

Twentieth-Century Latin American Revolutions
by Marc Becker

Revolutions are a commonly studied but only vaguely understood historical phenomenon. This clear and concise text extends our understanding with a critical narrative analysis of key case studies: the 1910–1920 Mexican Revolution; the 1944–1954 Guatemalan Spring; the 1952–1964 MNR-led revolution in Bolivia; the Cuban Revolution that triumphed in 1959; the 1970–1973 Chilean path to socialism; the leftist Sandinistas in Nicaragua in power from 1979–1990; failed guerrilla movements in Colombia, El Salvador, and Peru; and the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela after Hugo Chávez’s election in 1998. Historian Marc Becker opens with a theoretical introduction to revolutionary movements, including a definition of what “revolution” means and an examination of factors necessary for a revolution to succeed. He analyzes revolutions through the lens of those who participated and explores the sociopolitical conditions that led to a revolutionary situation, the differing responses to those conditions, and the outcomes of those political changes. Each case study provides an interpretive explanation of the historical context in which each movement emerged, its main goals and achievements, its shortcomings, its outcome, and its legacy. The book concludes with an analysis of how elected leftist governments in the twenty-first century continue to struggle with issues that revolutionaries confronted throughout the twentieth century.

Book, Rethinking Latin American Social Movements: Radical Action From Below

:::::::::: Book :::::::::: 

PURCHASE THIS EDITION 

Rethinking Latin American Social Movements: Radical Action From Below 

Edited By LAP Editors Richard Stahler-Sholk; Harry E. Vanden and Marc Becker 

This groundbreaking text explores the dramatic evolution in Latin American social movements over the past fifteen years. Leading scholars examine a variety of cases that highlight significant shifts in the region. First is the breakdown of the Washington Consensus and the global economic crisis since 2008, accompanied by the rise of new paradigms such as buen vivir (living well). Second are transformations in internal movement dynamics and strategies, especially the growth of horizontalism (horizontalidad), which emphasizes non-hierarchical relations within society rather than directly tackling state power. Third are new dynamics of resistance and repression as movements interact with the "pink tide" rise of left-of-center governments in the region. Exploring outcomes and future directions, the contributors consider the variations between movements arising from immediate circumstances (such as Oaxaca's 2006 uprising and Brazil's 2013 bus fare protests) and longer-lasting movements (Vía Campesina, Brazil's MST, and Mexico's Zapatistas). Assessing both the continuities in social movement dynamics and important new tendencies, this book will be essential reading for all students of Latin American politics and society.

Exclusive, After the Ecuadorian election

After the Ecuadorian election

by Marc Becker

Lenín Moreno narrowly turned back a resurgent conservative restoration in Ecuador’s April 2 presidential election. Rafael Correa’s former vice president defeated the wealthy banker Guillermo Lasso by a slim margin of 51 percent to 49 percent.

In the campaign, Moreno vowed to continue Correa’s spending on social programs including education, housing, and infrastructure that lifted millions out of poverty.

Lasso, a member of the reactionary Catholic cult Opus Dei, pledged to cut social spending, privatize healthcare and education, and slash taxes for corporations. He also promised to create a million jobs, though his platform lacked details on how he would do that or what kinds of jobs those would be.

Lasso was finance minster under Jamil Mahuad in 1999 whose policies led to an economic crisis, the dollarization of the economy, and the exodus of millions of Ecuadorians in search of employment. Lasso personally benefited from the crisis, as he speculated on financial losses and moved millions of dollars in ill-gotten wealth into offshore accounts in Panama and elsewhere.

Book, "Activist Scholarship and Urban Land Invasions" by Marc Becker

:::::: Book ::::::

Book Review:  "Activist Scholarship and Urban Land Invasions." 

Paul Dosh Demanding the Land: Urban Popular Movements in Peru and Ecuador, 1990–2005. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2010.

By Marc Becker

Book, "Activist Scholarship and Urban Land Invasions" by Marc Becker

:::::: Book ::::::

Book Review:  "Activist Scholarship and Urban Land Invasions." 

Paul Dosh Demanding the Land: Urban Popular Movements in Peru and Ecuador, 1990–2005. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2010.

By Marc Becker

Exclusive, Has Ecuador stemmed South America’s receding pink tide?

:::::::::: Exclusive ::::::::::

Has Ecuador stemmed South America’s receding pink tide?

by Marc Becker

In a nail-biting finish, it appears that Lenín Moreno has fallen just short of a first-round triumph in Sunday’s presidential election in Ecuador.

In order to avoid a runoff election, a candidate must either win a majority of the vote or 40 percent with a 10-point margin over the nearest contender.

Preliminary electoral results show Moreno ahead of his nearest rival Guillermo Lasso by about 10 points, but just shy of the required 40 percent of the total vote.

Moreno is the candidate for Alianza Pais (AP) of outgoing president Rafael Correa. After ten years in office, term limits prevented Correa from running again. The conservative banker and former finance minister Lasso ran as the candidate for an alliance between two rightwing parties, Creating Opportunities (CREO) and United Society More Action (SUMA).

Moreno finished stronger than many pre-election polls had indicated, with some showing him in the mid 30s. Recent polling, not only in Ecuador but across the hemisphere, has been notoriously unreliable.

A total of eight candidates were on Sunday’s ballot. Before Correa’s ascent to power in 2007, multi-party races meant that it was rare for the eventually winner to poll more than about a quarter of the vote in the first round. Correa won outright in his 2009 reelection campaign—the first time a candidate had achieved that feat since Ecuador’s return to civilian rule in 1979.

An open question now is what will happen in Ecuador’s April 2 runoff election.

Exclusive, What is at stake in Ecuador’s election?

:::::::::: Exclusive ::::::::::

What is at stake in Ecuador’s election?

by Marc Becker

The last year has been demoralizing for the Latin American left.

In November 2015, Mauricio Macri won election as president of Argentina on an openly neoliberal economic platform, ending twelve years of leftist rule in Argentina. Several weeks later, voters flipped control of Venezuela’s national assembly to a strident anti-Chávez but politically incoherent opposition that demanded the recall of president Nicolás Maduro. In the midst of a trumped up sex scandal, in February 2016 Bolivia’s first Indigenous president Evo Morales lost a referendum that would have allowed him to run for re-election in 2019. In Brazil, after two terms under the popular president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Dilma Rousseff faced a politically motivated impeachment from a conservative legislature that removed her from office in August 2016 on questionable charges. Her vice president Michel Temer moved quickly to undo thirteen years of progressive Workers Party (PT) policies. After a successful first time in office, Chilean president Michelle Bachelet faced very low poll numbers during her second term. Former rightwing president Sebastián Piñera appeared positioned to return to office in 2018.

Book, Jose Carlos Mariategui: An Anthology by Harry E. Vanden and Marc Becker

:::::: Book ::::::

Jose Carlos Mariategui: An Anthology 
by Harry E. Vanden and Marc Becker

José Carlos Mariátegui is one of Latin America’s most profound but overlooked thinkers. A self-taught journalist, social scientist, and activist from Peru, he was the first to emphasize that those fighting for the revolutionary transformation of society must adapt classical Marxist theory to the particular conditions of Latin American. He also stressed that indigenous peoples must take an active, if not leading, role in any revolutionary struggle.

Today Latin America is the scene of great social upheaval. More progressive governments are in power than ever before, and grassroots movements of indigenous peoples, workers, and peasants are increasingly shaping the political landscape. The time is perfect for a rediscovery of Mariátegui, who is considered an intellectual precursor of today’s struggles in Latin America but virtually unknown in the English-speaking world. This volume collects his essential writings, including many that have never been translated and some that have never been published. The scope of this collection, masterful translation, and thoughtful commentary make it an essential book for scholars of Latin America and all of those fighting for a new world, waiting to be born.

Book, "Indians and Leftists in the Making of Ecuador’s Modern Indigenous Movements" by Marc Becker

Indians and Leftists in the Making of Ecuador’s Modern Indigenous Movements by Marc Becker

In June 1990, Indigenous peoples shocked Ecuadorian elites with a powerful uprising that paralyzed the country for a week. Militants insisted that the government address Indigenous demands for land ownership, education, and economic development. This uprising was a milestone in the history of Ecuador’s social justice movements, and it inspired popular organizing efforts across Latin America. While the insurrection seemed to come out of nowhere, Marc Becker demonstrates that it emerged out of years of organizing and developing strategies to advance Indigenous rights. In this richly documented account, he chronicles a long history of Indigenous political activism in Ecuador, from the creation of the first local agricultural syndicates in the 1920s through the galvanizing protests of 1990. In so doing, he reveals the central role of women in Indigenous movements and the history of productive collaborations between rural Indigenous activists and urban leftist intellectuals.

Book, Rethinking Latin American Social Movements: Radical Action From Below

Rethinking Latin American Social Movements: Radical Action From Below 

Edited By LAP Editors Richard Stahler-Sholk; Harry E. Vanden and Marc Becker 

PURCHASE THIS EDITION 

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 412 • Size: 6 1/4 x 9 1/4

978-1-4422-3567-0 • Hardback • December 2014 • $127.00 • (£85.00)

978-1-4422-3568-7 • Paperback • November 2014 • $46.00 • (£31.95)

978-1-4422-3569-4 • eBook • November 2014 • $45.99 • (£31.95)

ABOUT THE BOOK 

This groundbreaking text explores the dramatic evolution in Latin American social movements over the past fifteen years. Leading scholars examine a variety of cases that highlight significant shifts in the region. First is the breakdown of the Washington Consensus and the global economic crisis since 2008, accompanied by the rise of new paradigms such as buen vivir (living well). Second are transformations in internal movement dynamics and strategies, especially the growth of horizontalism (horizontalidad), which emphasizes non-hierarchical relations within society rather than directly tackling state power. Third are new dynamics of resistance and repression as movements interact with the "pink tide" rise of left-of-center governments in the region. Exploring outcomes and future directions, the contributors consider the variations between movements arising from immediate circumstances (such as Oaxaca's 2006 uprising and Brazil's 2013 bus fare protests) and longer-lasting movements (Vía Campesina, Brazil's MST, and Mexico's Zapatistas). Assessing both the continuities in social movement dynamics and important new tendencies, this book will be essential reading for all students of Latin American politics and society.

Book, "Activist Scholarship and Urban Land Invasions" by Marc Becker

:::::: Book ::::::

Book Review:  "Activist Scholarship and Urban Land Invasions." 

Paul Dosh Demanding the Land: Urban Popular Movements in Peru and Ecuador, 1990–2005. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2010.

By Marc Becker

Book, "Rethinking Latin American Social Movements: Radical Action From Below"

Rethinking Latin American Social Movements: Radical Action From Below  Edited By LAP Editors Richard Stahler-Sholk; Harry E. Vanden and Marc Becker  Latest Publication available November 2014  PURCHASE THIS EDITION  List Price: $39.95  ISBN: 978-1-4422-3568-7  Publication Date: November 2014  416pp

ABOUT THE BOOK

Book, "Activist Scholarship and Urban Land Invasions" by Marc Becker

:::::: Book ::::::

Book Review:  "Activist Scholarship and Urban Land Invasions." 

Paul Dosh Demanding the Land: Urban Popular Movements in Peru and Ecuador, 1990–2005. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2010.

By Marc Becker

Abstract, The Correa Coup by Marc Becker

:::::: Abstract ::::::

The Correa Coup 
by Marc Becker

On September 30, 2010, discontented police officers and military troops plunged Ecuador into a political crisis as they took President Rafael Correa hostage, seized airports, and stormed the National Assembly building. In response, Correa declared a state of emergency and denounced what he termed a coup attempt. To outside observers, what appeared to be in process was yet another potentially extraconstitutional transfer of power in Ecuador’s tumultuous political history, with some pointing to the presence of the heavy imperial hand of the United States. Some grassroots activists, however, cast the political disruptions as little more than a labor dispute that Correa manipulated to entrench his increasingly authoritarian control over the country. At play in these competing narratives were debates over what political and economic direction Ecuador should take and whose interests those developments would benefit. Furthermore, the September 30 protests raise questions of how various domestic and international actors opportunistically exploit political developments to advance their own competing interests. Analyzing these events leads to a deeper understanding and appreciation for the compromises local social movements make, as well as the difficulties inherent in building transnational solidarity networks.

Book, "Activist Scholarship and Urban Land Invasions" by Marc Becker

:::::: Book ::::::

Book Review:  "Activist Scholarship and Urban Land Invasions." 

Paul Dosh Demanding the Land: Urban Popular Movements in Peru and Ecuador, 1990–2005. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2010.

By Marc Becker

Abstract, The Correa Coup by Marc Becker

:::::: Abstract ::::::

The Correa Coup 
by Marc Becker

On September 30, 2010, discontented police officers and military troops plunged Ecuador into a political crisis as they took President Rafael Correa hostage, seized airports, and stormed the National Assembly building. In response, Correa declared a state of emergency and denounced what he termed a coup attempt. To outside observers, what appeared to be in process was yet another potentially extraconstitutional transfer of power in Ecuador’s tumultuous political history, with some pointing to the presence of the heavy imperial hand of the United States. Some grassroots activists, however, cast the political disruptions as little more than a labor dispute that Correa manipulated to entrench his increasingly authoritarian control over the country. At play in these competing narratives were debates over what political and economic direction Ecuador should take and whose interests those developments would benefit. Furthermore, the September 30 protests raise questions of how various domestic and international actors opportunistically exploit political developments to advance their own competing interests. Analyzing these events leads to a deeper understanding and appreciation for the compromises local social movements make, as well as the difficulties inherent in building transnational solidarity networks.

Book, "Pachakutik: Indigenous Movements and Electoral Politics in Ecuador" By Marc Becker

Pachakutik:  Indigenous Movements and Electoral Politics in Ecuador 
By Marc Becker

This authoritative book provides a deeply informed overview of one of the most dynamic social movements in Latin America. Focusing on contemporary Indigenous movements in Ecuador, leading scholar Marc Becker traces the growing influence of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), which in 1990 led a powerful uprising that dramatically placed a struggle for Indigenous rights at the center of public consciousness. Activists began to refer to this uprising as a "pachakutik," a Kichwa word that means change, rebirth, and transformation, both in the sense of a return in time and the coming of a new era. Five years later, proponents launched a new political movement called Pachakutik to compete for elected office. In 2006, Ecuadorians elected Rafael Correa, who many saw as emblematic of the new Latin American left, to the presidency of the country. Even though CONAIE, Pachakutik, and Correa shared similar concerns for social justice, they soon came into conflict with each other.

Book, "Rethinking Latin American Social Movements: Radical Action From Below"

Rethinking Latin American Social Movements: Radical Action From Below  Edited By LAP Editors Richard Stahler-Sholk; Harry E. Vanden and Marc Becker  Latest Publication available November 2014  PURCHASE THIS EDITION  List Price: $39.95  ISBN: 978-1-4422-3568-7  Publication Date: November 2014  416pp

ABOUT THE BOOK

Book, "Pachakutik: Indigenous Movements and Electoral Politics in Ecuador" By Marc Becker

Pachakutik: Indigenous Movements and Electoral Politics in Ecuador 
By Marc Becker

This authoritative book provides a deeply informed overview of one of the most dynamic social movements in Latin America. Focusing on contemporary Indigenous movements in Ecuador, leading scholar Marc Becker traces the growing influence of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), which in 1990 led a powerful uprising that dramatically placed a struggle for Indigenous rights at the center of public consciousness. Activists began to refer to this uprising as a "pachakutik," a Kichwa word that means change, rebirth, and transformation, both in the sense of a return in time and the coming of a new era. Five years later, proponents launched a new political movement called Pachakutik to compete for elected office. In 2006, Ecuadorians elected Rafael Correa, who many saw as emblematic of the new Latin American left, to the presidency of the country. Even though CONAIE, Pachakutik, and Correa shared similar concerns for social justice, they soon came into conflict with each other.