Book

Until the Rulers Obey

📖 Overview

Until the Rulers Obey presents voices and perspectives from social movements across Latin America through interviews, testimonies, and analyses. The book documents grassroots organizing and resistance efforts from Mexico to Argentina during the early 21st century. The collection features more than 60 interviews with activists, organizers, and participants from various movements and organizations. Contributors discuss indigenous rights, workers' struggles, environmental activism, and autonomous community initiatives spanning multiple countries and contexts. The narratives cover key historical events like Argentina's economic crisis, Bolivia's water wars, and Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution. Testimonies detail both successful and failed attempts at social transformation, capturing the complexity of building movements from the ground up. This work raises fundamental questions about power, democracy, and the relationship between formal state structures and grassroots mobilization. The accounts demonstrate how Latin American social movements have developed alternative models of organization and resistance.

👀 Reviews

There are very few public reader reviews available for "Until the Rulers Obey" online. The book documents social movements across Latin America through interviews and first-hand accounts. Readers highlighted: - The breadth of coverage across different Latin American countries - The focus on grassroots perspectives rather than top-down analysis - The inclusion of original source material and interviews Main criticisms: - Some readers found the length (528 pages) overwhelming - A few noted the academic writing style could be dense Available Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (6 ratings, 1 review) Amazon: No customer reviews LibraryThing: No reviews One reader on Goodreads wrote: "Important compilation of social movements and resistance in Latin America told by participants themselves." Note: The limited number of public reviews makes it difficult to draw broader conclusions about reader reception.

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Dispersing Power by Raúl Zibechi The book documents Bolivia's social movements and grassroots organizations that developed new forms of community self-governance through collective action.

Dancing with Dynamite by Benjamin Dangl An analysis of social movements across South America and their complex relationships with leftist governments that came to power through popular mobilizations.

Horizontalism by Marina Sitrin First-hand accounts from participants in Argentina's neighborhood assemblies and worker-occupied factories reveal how communities organized through direct democracy after the 2001 economic crisis.

Revolution in Venezuela by Carlos Martinez The text examines Venezuela's communal councils and participatory democracy initiatives through interviews with local organizers and community members.

🤔 Interesting facts

🌟 The book features first-hand accounts from over 70 activists and organizers involved in social movements across Latin America, providing rare insights into grassroots organizing. 🎯 Authors Clifton Ross and Marcy Rein spent over three years traveling throughout Latin America to collect interviews and document social movements, from Argentina to Venezuela. 🌿 The title "Until the Rulers Obey" comes from a popular Mexican protest slogan "Hasta Que los Gobernantes Obedezcan" used during the Oaxaca uprising of 2006. 🔍 The work covers major social movements from 2000-2012, including Bolivia's Water War, Argentina's factory takeovers, and Brazil's Landless Workers' Movement (MST). 💫 Unlike many academic works on Latin American social movements, this book prioritizes the voices of indigenous leaders, feminist organizers, and local activists over those of politicians and scholars.