Moments of Coincidence

Abstract

This article is an examination of what I have termed the ‘moment of coincidence’ between the Zapatista movement and elements of the independent labour movement in Mexico. While the indigenous guerrillas of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation have remained militarily confined to isolated areas of the Mexican state of Chiapas since their uprising in January of 1994, Zapatismo has extended far beyond the boundaries of the state. In this article, I consider the nature, extent and limits of the linkages which have emerged between the Zapatista movement and sectors of the independent labour movement. This work is a preliminary attempt to illuminate the capacity of diverse social movements, each with their own tactics, agendas and goals, to ‘coincide’ or intersect with one another without sacrificing their individual autonomy, and what such a moment might signify with respect to the search for alternative political formations and forms of struggle.