At the turn of the twentieth century, a concatenation of diverse social movements arose unexpectedly in Latin America, culminating in massive anti-free market demonstrations. These events ushered in governments in Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Venezuela that advocated socialization and planning, challenging the consensus over neoliberal hegemony and the weakness of movements to oppose it. Eduardo Silva offers the first comprehensive comparative account of these extraordinary events, arguing that the shift was influenced by favorable political associational space, a reformist orientation to demands, economic crisis, and mechanisms that facilitated horizontal linkages among a wide variety of social movement organizations. His analysis applies Karl Polanyi's theory of the double movement of market society to these events, predicting the dawning of an era more supportive of government intervention in the economy and society.
Author(s): Eduardo Silva
Series: Cambridge Studies in Contentious Politics
Edition: 1
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 2009
Language: English
Pages: 336
Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 5
Title......Page 7
Copyright......Page 8
Dedication......Page 9
Contents......Page 11
List of Tables......Page 12
Preface and Acknowledgments......Page 13
List of Acronyms......Page 17
1 The Inconvenient Fact of Anti-Neoliberal Mass Mobilization......Page 21
The Puzzle of Leftist Mobilization in the Age of Global Liberalism......Page 24
New Social Movements and Resistance......Page 29
Alternative Explanations......Page 30
Part I: Episodes of Contention and Motivation for Anti-Neoliberal Protest......Page 34
Contemporary Market Society and Popular Mobilization in Latin America......Page 36
National Populism, the State, and Decommodification......Page 39
Recommodification: Contemporary Market Society......Page 43
Exclusion, Grievances, and Demands......Page 46
Part II: Power in Episodes of Anti-Neoliberal Contention......Page 49
Power in Relations of Domination and Subordination......Page 53
Political Power......Page 54
Economic Power......Page 56
Transnational and Ideological Power......Page 58
Conclusion......Page 61
Power in the Construction of Contemporary Market Society......Page 63
Anti-Neoliberal Contention......Page 65
Divergent Cases: Peru and Chile......Page 73
Building Contemporary Market Society, 1989–95......Page 76
Economic Stabilization, Restructuring, and State Reform Under Carlos Menem......Page 77
Power and the Construction of Argentine Market Society......Page 79
Exclusion and the Foundations of Militant Resistance, 1989–95......Page 81
Relegated to the Provinces......Page 85
The Changing Face of Contentious Politics, 1995–99......Page 88
Transformation in Anti-Neoliberal Contentious Politics: The Interior Provinces......Page 92
Transformation in Anti-Neoliberal Contentious Politics: Buenos Aires......Page 99
Economic Crisis and the Third Wave of Anti-Neoliberal Contention, 1999–2001......Page 107
Resurgence of Popular Sector Mobilization, 1999-November 2001......Page 108
“Que se Vayan Todos,” December 2001......Page 113
Aftermath......Page 119
5 Bolivia......Page 123
National Populism and the Initiation of Contemporary Market Society......Page 124
Building Contemporary Market Society......Page 126
Power......Page 127
Exclusion......Page 129
Resistance, Defeat, and New Beginnings, 1985–93......Page 130
New Sources of Popular Sector Associational and Collective Power......Page 133
Second-Generation Neoliberal Reforms......Page 135
Power and Exclusion......Page 137
Portentous Transformations in Anti-Neoliberal Contention, 1993–97......Page 139
The Water War......Page 143
The Gas War......Page 152
Aftermath......Page 162
6 Ecuador......Page 167
National Populism in Ecuador......Page 168
Introducing Contemporary Market Society, 1982–92......Page 171
Challenging Neoliberalism, 1984–92......Page 174
Associational Power Surge......Page 175
Neoliberal Radicalization and Swelling Resistance, 1992–96......Page 181
Transformations in Ecuadorian Contentious Politics......Page 182
Neoliberal Hubris and Hypermobilization, 1996–2000......Page 189
Anti-Neoliberal Uprising I: Ousting Bucaram......Page 190
Interlude: The Constitutional Convention......Page 193
Anti-Neoliberal Uprising II: Mahuads Comeuppance......Page 195
Aftermath......Page 208
7 Venezuela......Page 215
National Populism, Inclusion, and Crisis......Page 216
The Great Turnaround, Power, and Exclusion......Page 220
From the “Caracazo” to Ignominious Exit......Page 223
Escalating Anti-Neoliberal Contention......Page 226
Political Collapse of Carlos Andrés Pérez......Page 235
Dashed Hopes, Mobilization, and the Rise of Hugo Chávez......Page 239
Caldera, Contentious Politics, and the MVR......Page 240
Aftermath: President Chávez, 1998–Present......Page 244
8 Peru and Chile......Page 250
Peru......Page 251
Political Shifts, Economic Stabilization, and Contentious Politics, 1975–80......Page 254
Neoliberalism in Peru, 1980–2000......Page 256
Exclusion, Declining Mobilization, Authoritarianism, and Violence......Page 260
Aftermath......Page 265
Chile......Page 268
Economic Crisis, Political Liberalization, and Anti-Market Society Mobilization......Page 271
Democracy, Market Economics, and Quiescence......Page 276
9 Conclusion......Page 286
On the Emergence of Transformative Movements......Page 288
Theory, Territorial Organization, and Repertoires of Contention......Page 291
Transnational Influences and Movements......Page 295
On Alternatives to Neoliberalism......Page 299
References......Page 305
Index......Page 333
