Tom Gatehouse

Voices of Latin America: Social movements and the new activism Tom Gatehouse

These are uncertain times in Latin America. Popular faith in democracy has been shaken; traditional political parties and institutions have stagnated. And yet, in recent years, autonomous social movements have multiplied and thrived. Voices of Latin America tells the story of the major issues, conflicts and campaigns for social justice in the region today, in the words of the protagonists of these movements themselves. Latin America Bureau (LAB) spoke to people from 14 countries, from Mexico to the Southern Cone. These include indigenous activists fighting oil drilling in their territory; mothers from favelas seeking justice for their children killed by the police; opponents of large-scale mining projects; independent journalists working to expose corruption and human rights violations, despite great personal risk; women and LGBT people fighting violence and discrimination; and students demanding the right to a free, universal and high-quality system of education. The locations and causes are disparate, but there is evidence of co-operation and shared learning between the different movements which link issues and cross national borders. Voices of Latin America is essential reading for tourists, gap-year students, travellers, journalists and anyone else with an interest in contemporary social movements in Latin America, along with students and academics of courses including Latin American studies, gender studies, politics, social anthropology and development studies.