1986 interview with Nicaraguan Sandinista leader Dora María Téllez, who describes growing up unde... more 1986 interview with Nicaraguan Sandinista leader Dora María Téllez, who describes growing up under the Somoza dictatorship, developing a political consciousness, the FSLN's armed struggle against Somoza, the problems of governing after the revolutionary triumph, and other topics.
A finales del siglo XIX, los huleros y misioneros invadieron el territorio de los indígenas atusa... more A finales del siglo XIX, los huleros y misioneros invadieron el territorio de los indígenas atusas-malecus, al sur del Lago de Nicaragua. Cienros de mujeres y niiios indígenas fueron turados y vendidos como esclavos en los pueblos nicaragüenses, mientras que los hombres izaban trabajos forzados para los huleros como cargadores en la selva. Las distintas nridades nacionales aún estaban en estado embrionario en las décadas posteriores al colapso de la Federación Centroamericana. Los clérigos e historiadores costarricenses narraron la experiencia de la comercialización del hule y de los seres humanos en la zona guatusa, en el marco del surgimiento de un proyecto ideológico nacionalista que contrastó la "virtud" de
En muchos (aunque no todos) los instrumentos internacionales de derechos humanos, el artículo 1.º... more En muchos (aunque no todos) los instrumentos internacionales de derechos humanos, el artículo 1.º se utiliza para definir a los titulares de derechos. Las precisiones normativas de este tipo pueden ser controversiales-por ejemplo, en debates sobre quién es un "niño" en el periodo previo a la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño-, pero también puede serlo su ausencia (como ocurrió con la Declaración sobre los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas). La pregunta de cómo definir campesino y campesinado tiene una historia larga, complicada y polémica. Las definiciones de los grupos humanos surgen o son creadas con diferentes propósitos, incluyendo el control social, la protección legal, el análisis social, la acción colectiva y la descripción coloquial. Estas delimitaciones pueden o no superponerse y coincidir. A veces, grupos objeto de discriminación se apropian, invierten y celebran etiquetas previamente peyorativas. Además, términos afines en diferentes idiomas no siempre son del todo equivalentes (por ejemplo, peasant, campesino, paysan, крестьянин [krest'ianin], etc.). Aunque las definiciones * El documento original se titula "What is a peasant? What are peasantries? A briefing paper on issues of definition" y fue preparado por su autor para la primera sesión del Grupo de Trabajo Intergubernamental sobre una Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Derechos de los Campesinos y otras Personas que Trabajan en las Zonas Rurales (Ginebra, del 15 al 19 de julio de 2013). La RCA agradece al autor por permitir la traducción al español para esta edición especial. El documento fue traducido por Soraya Maite Yie Garzón (maiteyie@yahoo. com / https://orcid.
This essay, inspired by the huge outpouring of research generated in and around the Emancipatory ... more This essay, inspired by the huge outpouring of research generated in and around the Emancipatory Rural Politics Initiative, reflects on the challenges of analysing authoritarian populism and particularly its rural expressions. The paper first examines key features of authoritarian populism and early populist movements in the Americas and Russia. Then it turns to 'illiberal' neoliberalism and the origins of neoliberalism under brutal dictatorial regimes in Indonesia and Chile. The paper scrutinizes the scepticism about populism in the work of prominent liberal and neoliberal media pundits and scholars. The affinities and tensions between different authoritarian populist rulers, the worrisome transnational linkages of their support bases and the massive flows of right-wing donor money between white supremacist and nationalist movements in different countries suggest the emergence of a fractious axis, not as consolidated as the fascist axis of the 1930s and 1940s, but a rising threat to democracy nonetheless. The paper considers the degeneration of progressive populisms, such as Venezuelan chavismo, and the problem of resorting to 'automatic' or 'unconditional' solidarities as a factor in the delegitimizing of left alternative voices. The last sections discuss emancipatory politics, the recent phenomenon of pandemic authoritarianism and the rising protest movements that constitute a possible opportunity for progressive forces.
Thèse (de doctorat) - Columbia University, 1985. Bibliogr. : f. 468-501. Microfiche du ms dactylo... more Thèse (de doctorat) - Columbia University, 1985. Bibliogr. : f. 468-501. Microfiche du ms dactylographié.
ABSTRACT The lack of historical perspective in many studies of land grabbing leads researchers to... more ABSTRACT The lack of historical perspective in many studies of land grabbing leads researchers to ignore or underestimate the extent to which pre-existing social relations shape rural spaces in which contemporary land deals occur. Bringing history back in to land grabbing research is essential for understanding antecedents, establishing baselines to measure impacts and restoring the agency of contending agrarian social classes. In Central America each of several cycles of land grabbing—liberal reforms, banana concessions and agrarian counter-reform—has profoundly shaped the period that succeeded it. In the Bajo Aguán region of Honduras—a centre of agrarian reform and then counter-reform—violent conflicts over land have been materially shaped by both peasant, landowner and state repertoires of contention and repression, as well as by peasants’ memories of dispossession.
ABSTRACT Scholars, practitioners and activists generally agree that investor interest in land has... more ABSTRACT Scholars, practitioners and activists generally agree that investor interest in land has climbed sharply, although they differ about what to call this phenomenon and how to analyse it. This introduction discusses several contested definitional, conceptual, methodological and political issues in the land grab debate. The initial ‘making sense’ period drew sweeping conclusions from large databases, rapid-appraisal fieldwork and local case studies. Today research examines financialisation of land, ‘water grabbing’, ‘green grabbing’ and grabbing for industrial and urbanisation projects, and a substantial literature challenges key assumptions of the early discussion (the emphasis on foreign actors in Africa and on food and biofuels production, the claim that local populations are inevitably displaced or negatively affected). The authors in this collection, representing a diversity of approaches and backgrounds, argue the need to move beyond the basic questions of the ‘making sense’ period of the debate and share a common commitment to connecting analyses of contemporary land grabbing to its historical antecedents and legal contexts and to longstanding agrarian political economy questions concerning forms of dispossession and accumulation, the role of labour and the impediments to the development of capitalism in agriculture. They call for more rigorous grounding of claims about impacts, for scrutiny of failed projects and for (re)examination of the longue durée, social differentiation, the agency of contending social classes and forms of grassroots resistance as key elements shaping agrarian outcomes.
This article analyzes two convergent processes: (1) the increasing specification of the right to ... more This article analyzes two convergent processes: (1) the increasing specification of the right to food in international law; and (2) the efforts of transnational agrarian social movements, notably Vía Campesina, to have the United Nations adopt an instrument on the rights of peasants. Because one-seventh of humanity suffers from hunger and because the right to food has wide support among UN member states and is essential for the enjoyment of all other rights, it has become a magnet for diverse kinds of rights claims. Vía Campesina has elaborated a draft instrument that has received growing attention in the UN Human Rights Council. Several of the claimed rights, however, are contentious and have generated opposition from powerful UN member states.
and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study pu... more and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution , reselling , loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. 'Ha habido cierta timidez de parte del profesional, tal vez cierta apatı´a. Y cierto resquemor de parte nuestra por todo que nos ha pasado. Hay gente que nos ha abusado. .. Nos sentimos como vacas a veces. Y nos pegan una gran orden˜ada y otro se bebe la leche. ¿Entende´s?' I presented a shorter, very different version of this essay at a January 2006 conference on 'Land, Poverty, Social Justice and Development: Social Movements Perspectives' at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. Many activists and colleagues at that forum provided comments and pointed critiques, as did
1986 interview with Nicaraguan Sandinista leader Dora María Téllez, who describes growing up unde... more 1986 interview with Nicaraguan Sandinista leader Dora María Téllez, who describes growing up under the Somoza dictatorship, developing a political consciousness, the FSLN's armed struggle against Somoza, the problems of governing after the revolutionary triumph, and other topics.
A finales del siglo XIX, los huleros y misioneros invadieron el territorio de los indígenas atusa... more A finales del siglo XIX, los huleros y misioneros invadieron el territorio de los indígenas atusas-malecus, al sur del Lago de Nicaragua. Cienros de mujeres y niiios indígenas fueron turados y vendidos como esclavos en los pueblos nicaragüenses, mientras que los hombres izaban trabajos forzados para los huleros como cargadores en la selva. Las distintas nridades nacionales aún estaban en estado embrionario en las décadas posteriores al colapso de la Federación Centroamericana. Los clérigos e historiadores costarricenses narraron la experiencia de la comercialización del hule y de los seres humanos en la zona guatusa, en el marco del surgimiento de un proyecto ideológico nacionalista que contrastó la "virtud" de
En muchos (aunque no todos) los instrumentos internacionales de derechos humanos, el artículo 1.º... more En muchos (aunque no todos) los instrumentos internacionales de derechos humanos, el artículo 1.º se utiliza para definir a los titulares de derechos. Las precisiones normativas de este tipo pueden ser controversiales-por ejemplo, en debates sobre quién es un "niño" en el periodo previo a la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño-, pero también puede serlo su ausencia (como ocurrió con la Declaración sobre los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas). La pregunta de cómo definir campesino y campesinado tiene una historia larga, complicada y polémica. Las definiciones de los grupos humanos surgen o son creadas con diferentes propósitos, incluyendo el control social, la protección legal, el análisis social, la acción colectiva y la descripción coloquial. Estas delimitaciones pueden o no superponerse y coincidir. A veces, grupos objeto de discriminación se apropian, invierten y celebran etiquetas previamente peyorativas. Además, términos afines en diferentes idiomas no siempre son del todo equivalentes (por ejemplo, peasant, campesino, paysan, крестьянин [krest'ianin], etc.). Aunque las definiciones * El documento original se titula "What is a peasant? What are peasantries? A briefing paper on issues of definition" y fue preparado por su autor para la primera sesión del Grupo de Trabajo Intergubernamental sobre una Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Derechos de los Campesinos y otras Personas que Trabajan en las Zonas Rurales (Ginebra, del 15 al 19 de julio de 2013). La RCA agradece al autor por permitir la traducción al español para esta edición especial. El documento fue traducido por Soraya Maite Yie Garzón (maiteyie@yahoo. com / https://orcid.
This essay, inspired by the huge outpouring of research generated in and around the Emancipatory ... more This essay, inspired by the huge outpouring of research generated in and around the Emancipatory Rural Politics Initiative, reflects on the challenges of analysing authoritarian populism and particularly its rural expressions. The paper first examines key features of authoritarian populism and early populist movements in the Americas and Russia. Then it turns to 'illiberal' neoliberalism and the origins of neoliberalism under brutal dictatorial regimes in Indonesia and Chile. The paper scrutinizes the scepticism about populism in the work of prominent liberal and neoliberal media pundits and scholars. The affinities and tensions between different authoritarian populist rulers, the worrisome transnational linkages of their support bases and the massive flows of right-wing donor money between white supremacist and nationalist movements in different countries suggest the emergence of a fractious axis, not as consolidated as the fascist axis of the 1930s and 1940s, but a rising threat to democracy nonetheless. The paper considers the degeneration of progressive populisms, such as Venezuelan chavismo, and the problem of resorting to 'automatic' or 'unconditional' solidarities as a factor in the delegitimizing of left alternative voices. The last sections discuss emancipatory politics, the recent phenomenon of pandemic authoritarianism and the rising protest movements that constitute a possible opportunity for progressive forces.
Thèse (de doctorat) - Columbia University, 1985. Bibliogr. : f. 468-501. Microfiche du ms dactylo... more Thèse (de doctorat) - Columbia University, 1985. Bibliogr. : f. 468-501. Microfiche du ms dactylographié.
ABSTRACT The lack of historical perspective in many studies of land grabbing leads researchers to... more ABSTRACT The lack of historical perspective in many studies of land grabbing leads researchers to ignore or underestimate the extent to which pre-existing social relations shape rural spaces in which contemporary land deals occur. Bringing history back in to land grabbing research is essential for understanding antecedents, establishing baselines to measure impacts and restoring the agency of contending agrarian social classes. In Central America each of several cycles of land grabbing—liberal reforms, banana concessions and agrarian counter-reform—has profoundly shaped the period that succeeded it. In the Bajo Aguán region of Honduras—a centre of agrarian reform and then counter-reform—violent conflicts over land have been materially shaped by both peasant, landowner and state repertoires of contention and repression, as well as by peasants’ memories of dispossession.
ABSTRACT Scholars, practitioners and activists generally agree that investor interest in land has... more ABSTRACT Scholars, practitioners and activists generally agree that investor interest in land has climbed sharply, although they differ about what to call this phenomenon and how to analyse it. This introduction discusses several contested definitional, conceptual, methodological and political issues in the land grab debate. The initial ‘making sense’ period drew sweeping conclusions from large databases, rapid-appraisal fieldwork and local case studies. Today research examines financialisation of land, ‘water grabbing’, ‘green grabbing’ and grabbing for industrial and urbanisation projects, and a substantial literature challenges key assumptions of the early discussion (the emphasis on foreign actors in Africa and on food and biofuels production, the claim that local populations are inevitably displaced or negatively affected). The authors in this collection, representing a diversity of approaches and backgrounds, argue the need to move beyond the basic questions of the ‘making sense’ period of the debate and share a common commitment to connecting analyses of contemporary land grabbing to its historical antecedents and legal contexts and to longstanding agrarian political economy questions concerning forms of dispossession and accumulation, the role of labour and the impediments to the development of capitalism in agriculture. They call for more rigorous grounding of claims about impacts, for scrutiny of failed projects and for (re)examination of the longue durée, social differentiation, the agency of contending social classes and forms of grassroots resistance as key elements shaping agrarian outcomes.
This article analyzes two convergent processes: (1) the increasing specification of the right to ... more This article analyzes two convergent processes: (1) the increasing specification of the right to food in international law; and (2) the efforts of transnational agrarian social movements, notably Vía Campesina, to have the United Nations adopt an instrument on the rights of peasants. Because one-seventh of humanity suffers from hunger and because the right to food has wide support among UN member states and is essential for the enjoyment of all other rights, it has become a magnet for diverse kinds of rights claims. Vía Campesina has elaborated a draft instrument that has received growing attention in the UN Human Rights Council. Several of the claimed rights, however, are contentious and have generated opposition from powerful UN member states.
and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study pu... more and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution , reselling , loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. 'Ha habido cierta timidez de parte del profesional, tal vez cierta apatı´a. Y cierto resquemor de parte nuestra por todo que nos ha pasado. Hay gente que nos ha abusado. .. Nos sentimos como vacas a veces. Y nos pegan una gran orden˜ada y otro se bebe la leche. ¿Entende´s?' I presented a shorter, very different version of this essay at a January 2006 conference on 'Land, Poverty, Social Justice and Development: Social Movements Perspectives' at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. Many activists and colleagues at that forum provided comments and pointed critiques, as did
This book contends that social democracy is a concept that applies to cases in the global south, ... more This book contends that social democracy is a concept that applies to cases in the global south, as well as the north. It engages in a comparative analysis of four exemplary cases in order to understand the origins of this variety of capitalism, the challenges it faces and the prospects.
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