Barrio Democracy in Latin America

“Barrio Democracy in Latin America combines a fascinating history of three key neighborhoods of Montevideo with an original argument about how local associational cultures are crucial for understanding what makes participatory democracy work. This book comes highly recommended.” —Benjamin Goldfrank, Seton Hall University

“Eduardo Canel explores the limits and possibilities of urban grassroots democratization in Uruguay. He contrasts how neighborhoods differ in how deeply they democratized, as well as how they evolved under different Latin American, national, and citywide conditions. This is a ‘must’ book for anyone interested in social movements, civil society, the political sociology of cities, and democracy both in general and in the specific context of Uruguay.” —Susan Eckstein, Boston University

“Eduardo Canel has written a rich, compelling account of the challenges of promoting participatory democracy in Uruguay. In the process, he successfully demonstrates the importance of local contexts and histories for understanding the potential of participatory institutions at the municipal level to actually democratize local governance. By focusing on three communities with the same institutional structures, Canel is able to derive important insights into how ‘lived experiences of participation,’ different kinds of social capital, and the often conflictual nature of civil society help explain the varying levels of successful inclusion associated with participatory institutions throughout Latin America.” —Philip Oxhorn, Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University

“In addition to contributing to the understanding of local democratization, Canel provides a compelling window into the dynamics of deindustrialization that has relevance for Latin America as a whole.” —C. H. Blake, Choice