Here is a helpful story to illustrate the book's core arguments: The Story of the Changing Village
According to Deborah Yashar , this village—and real movements in countries like and Bolivia —succeeded because of three specific things:
: The villagers already had deep, pre-existing connections through the Church or previous unions. These networks allowed them to organize quickly. Contesting Citizenship in Latin America: The Ri...
: The shift to neoliberalism unintentionally challenged their local autonomy, giving them a reason to fight back.
One day, the government changed the rules. It adopted , aiming to treat everyone as individual, equal citizens. While this sounded like "democracy," it actually stripped away the collective protections the villagers relied on for their local autonomy. Suddenly, their lands were at risk, and the "peasant" unions that once protected them were dismantled. Here is a helpful story to illustrate the
is available at retailers like Barnes & Noble and Strand Book Store .
The book by Deborah J. Yashar explores why indigenous movements suddenly surged in late 20th-century Latin America. One day, the government changed the rules
The story doesn't end with a protest. These movements are now posing a . They are asking the state: "Can you be a democracy if you only recognize individuals, or must you also recognize our collective rights and autonomy as indigenous peoples?" .