| "In
this thoughtful examination of the emergence and survival of the democratic
teachers' movement in Mexico, Maria Lorena Cook offers a rich case
study central to several important debates in the fields of social
movements, democratization, and Mexican studies. . . . It is a solid
achievement worthy of high praise."-American Journal of Sociology
"Organizing Dissent represents a very valuable contribution
to an understanding of the particular political factors that allow
social movements not only to come into being, but also to survive
in the context of authoritarian regimes. . . A timely contribution
to the building of a better understanding of the conditions under
which the democratic experience fostered through participation in
social movements might be a tool for change in the hands of those
so far consistently marginalized from power."-Canadian Journal
of Political Science
"Cook's superb book will be of wide interest to students of Mexican
politics as well as social movement theory."-Industrial and Labor
Relations Review
"Cook's richly documented study of the Mexican teachers' movement
proposes answers to two key questions: how do social movements emerge
in repressive contexts, and what factors enable them to survive
in such an environment? Her book will be a milestone in linking
social movement theory with the study of political change in non-liberal
settings like Mexico."-Sidney Tarrow, Cornell University
Organizing Dissent examines the democratic movement that
emerged in the 1970s and 1980s within Mexico's National Union of
Education Workers, the largest union in Latin America. The size,
perseverance, and success of the movement stood out in a country
whose governing regime was renowned for its ability to co-opt, control,
and repress dissent.
Maria Lorena Cook analyzes the development of the teachers' movement
from its origins in the 1970s through the economic crisis of the
1980s and into the early 1990s under the Salinas administration.
She explores the evolving relationship among the union leadership,
the state, and rank-and-file teachers, looks closely at organization
dynamics and competing strategies within the movement, and compares
the successes and failures of six regional contingents of the teachers'
movement located in southern and central Mexico. |