Building the Commune
Book 7 of Jacobin
Language: English
Publisher: Verso Books
Words:
33262
Flesch:
41.88
DDC:
987.064
FAST Tags:
Politics and government,
Social movements,
Venezuela,
Political participation,
Poor--Political activity,
Radicalism,
Democracy
LCC:
F2329
LC Genre:
Book Details
...
Description:
Latin America’s experiments in direct democracy
Since 2011, a wave of popular uprisings has swept the globe, taking shape in the Occupy movement, the Arab Spring, 15M in Spain, and the anti-austerity protests in Greece. The demands have been varied, but have expressed a consistent commitment to the ideals of radical democracy.
Similar experiments began appearing across Latin America twenty-five years ago, just as the left fell into decline in Europe. In Venezuela, poor barrio residents arose in a mass rebellion against neoliberalism, ushering in a government that institutionalized the communes already forming organically. In Building the Commune, George Ciccariello-Maher travels through these radical experiments, speaking to a broad range of community members, workers, students and government officials. Assessing the projects’ successes and failures, Building the Commune provides lessons and inspiration for the radical movements of today.