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The Persisting Relevance of Political Economy and Political Sociology in Latin American Social Movement Studies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2022

Timothy P. Wickham-Crowley  and
Susan Eckstein
Timothy P. Wickham-Crowley
Affiliation:
Georgetown University
Susan Eckstein
Affiliation:
Boston University
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Abstract

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We examine the promise and accomplishments of New Social Movement (NSM) theory for understanding recent social movements in Latin America. After delineating and critiquing the key premises and concerns of NSM analyses, we demonstrate how a conceptual frame combining political economy and political sociology accounts better for the origins and trajectories of the social movements, including two of the most important in Latin America, Brazil's Movement of the Landless Rural Workers (MST) and Bolivia's Movement toward Socialism (MAS).

Resumen

Resumen

Exploramos la promesa y los logros de la teoría de los nuevos movimientos sociales (NMS) para entender los movimientos sociales recientes en América Latina. Luego de delinear y criticar las principales premisas y preocupaciones de los análisis de los NMS, demostramos cómo un marco conceptual basado en la economía-política y sociología-política explican mejor los orígenes y trayectorias de los movimientos sociales de la región en las últimas décadas, incluyendo dos de los más importantes en América Latina: el Movimiento de los Trabajadores Rurales sin Tierra (MST) en Brasil y el Movimiento al Socialismo en Bolivia (MAS).

Resumo

Resumo

Examinamos a promessa e os sucessos da teoria dos Novos Movimentos Sociais (NMS) para entender os movimentos sociais recentes na América Latina. Depois de delinear e criticar as principais premissas e interesses dentro das análises de NMS, demostramos como uma abordagem conceptual fundada na economia política e sociologia política explicam melhor as origens e trajetórias dos movimentos socias da região nas últimas décadas, inclusive dois dos mais importantes na América Latina: o Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais sem Terra (MST) no Brasil, e o Movimento ao Socialismo (MAS) na Bolívia.

Type
Research Article
Information
Latin American Research Review , Volume 50 , Issue 4 , 2015 , pp. 3 - 25
Copyright
Copyright © 2015 by the Latin American Studies Association

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