Social Movements and Citizenship Rights in Latin America

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the relationship between social movement activity and the achievement of citizenship rights in contemporary Latin America. It considers the role of social movements in both civil and political societies and goes on to argue for the key role of rights struggles in projecting social movements from civil into political society. In Mexico, powerful movements within state-chartered corporations shook the foundations of the political system. Hence the mobilization subsided and returned to recurrent agitation by the most militant groups, with the struggle for democracy condemned to mobilization without political strategy. Social movements mobilize to press their demands, but mobilization entails negotiation with state agencies and political authorities if these demands are to be won. Even in the limiting case of Argentina, however, it has been argued that social movements did play a role in democratizing political culture, developing community and self-government, and revitalizing local politics.