Social Movements Across Latin America

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The past 25 years in Latin America have witnessed a renewed upswing in popular mobilization. The ending of the violent conflicts and military governments in the 1980s gave way to new struggles and a relatively more democratic climate. From northern Mexico to southern Argentina, social movements in the 1990s, and especially in the 2000s, have reached new heights of popular participation. These claims are confirmed by the multitudinous street marches in Costa Rica against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in 2007, the white marches in El Salvador against health care privatization, and the black marches in Panama against pension system reform, along with the massive indigenous mobilizations in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru. In addition, the southern cone countries of Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay experienced widespread mobilization against economic liberalization policies throughout the early 2000s. New social actors and social organizations have entered the political scene such as social movements with environmental, feminist, gay/lesbian, and consumer identities. In addition, “traditional” social movements such as labor unions continue to play a major role in the social movement sector in campaigns against austerity, adjustment, privatization, and free trade. The rural sectors also persist by launching struggles over working conditions or past exploitation. Indigenous communities continue to be key players as well in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Peru. The mass mobilizations are also directly linked to the rise of several left-leaning governments in the region by converting street politics into successful electoral outcomes.