Land and Freedom The MST, the Zapatistas and Peasant Alternatives to Neoliberalism

The Zapatistas of Chiapas and the Landless Workers Movement (MST) of Brazil are often celebrated as shining examples in the global struggle against Neoliberalism. But what have these movements achieved in more than two decades of resistance and can any of these achievements realistically contribute to an alternative development future?

Through a perfect balance of grassroots testimonies, participative observation and consideration of key development and critical political economy debates, Land and Freedom compares, for the first time, the Zapatista and MST movements. Casting a spotlight on their resistance to globalising market forces Vergara-Camus gets to the heart of how these movements organise themselves and how the decommodification of social relations is key to understanding their radical development potential.

Leandro Vergara-Camus teaches development at SOAS, London, UK. His work focuses on the Latin American left, peasant agriculture, and the history of land struggles over property rights in Latin America.

Introduction
1. Everyday Life Experience in Historical Context
The Fieldwork Experience
Historical Background to the Current Land Struggles in Brazil and Mexico
2. New Forms of Peasant Rebellions
Traditional Peasant Rebellions
Human Dignity amidst the Globalisation of Agriculture
3. Creating Autonomous Rural Communities
Becoming a Landless: Hyper-politicisation of Encampments and Land Occupation
From Encampment to Settlement: the Cooling of Political Activism
Becoming a Zapatistas: a Commitment to Resistance
Formalizing Clandestine Leadership: the Guerrilla and Indigenous Communities
Scaling-up: From Autonomous Municipalities to the Juntas de Buen Gobierno
The MST's Democratic Centralism and the EZLN's Mandar Obedeciendo
Gender Relations and the Political Participation of Women
Autonomy: An Alternative Form of Building People's Power
4. Alternative Development: The Market, the State, and the Community
Peasant Agriculture: Moral Economy or Micro-capitalism
The Meaning of Land for the Landless and the Zapatistas
Different Paths to Strengthening Peasant Family Farming
5. Against the Current: Revolution in Times of Neoliberal Hegemony
Social Movements, Civil Society, and the State in Brazil and Mexico
The MST: Occupying All Possible Political Spaces
Zapatismo: 'Another Way of Doing Politics'
A Shared Dilemma: Is Radical Politics Possible in an Era of National Pragmatism?
Conclusion