Transitions from authoritarian to democratic governments can provide ripe scenarios for the emergence of new, insurgent political actors and causes. During peaceful transitions, such movements may become influential political players and gain representation for previously neglected interests and sectors of the population. But for this to happen, insurgent social movements need opportunities for mobilization, success, and survival. What happens to insurgent social movements that emerge during a democratic transition but fail to achieve their goals? How influential are they? Are they able to survive their initial mobilizing boom? To answer these questions, Maria Inclan looks at Mexico's Zapatista movement, whose emergence she argues was caught between "sliding doors" of opportunity. The Zapatistas were able to mobilize sympathy and support for the indigenous agenda inside and outside of the country, yet failed to achieve their goals vis-a-vis the Mexican state. Nevertheless, the movement has survived and sustained its autonomy despite lacking legal recognition. Inclan examines the vitality of the movement during various tests of the emergent democracy (during more competitive elections, under various political parties, and amid various repressive measures). She also looks at state responsiveness to movement demands and the role of transnational networks in the movement's survival. Framing the relative achievements and failures of the Zapatista movement within Mexico's democratization is essential to understand how social movements develop and survive and how responsive an electoral democracy really is. As such, this book offers a test to the quality of Mexico's democracy and to the resilience of the Zapatista movement, as it identifies the extent to which emerging political forces have failed to incorporate dissident and previously excluded political actors into the new polity.

About the Author
Maria Inclan is Associate Professor of Political Science at Centro de Investigacion y Docencia Economicas, Mexico.

Reviews
Ultimately the book makes an interesting intervention in social movement theory but reflects some of the common pitfalls of social science research on movements. * Kevin A. Young, Latin American Research Review *
[A] brief but stimulating work... Overall, whether one accepts the author's sympathetic reading of the constraints facing the Zapatistas or not, the book forces us to take seriously the limits of democratic opening in Mexico for counterelite movements, particularly those that demand forms of representation going beyond the merely electoral. * Kathleen Bruhn, Perspectives on Politics *
Inclan provides a historical account of the Zapatista movement while making theoretical arguments regarding democratic transitions and social movements. Using the analogy of sliding doors, Inclan argues that the first set of doors opened up for the Zapatistas in the uprising in 1994, but the second of set of doors, which would have allowed for political success, never opened due to the government's inconsistent changes... The Zapatista's ability to foster transnational solidarity networks through the use of digital media garnered international support. Though its larger influence has waned over time, the Zapatista movement remains strong at the local level. In spite of the fact that the Zapatista movement failed to achieve autonomy for Mexico's indigenous people, it serves as a role model for other altermundista movements throughout the world. * I. Coronado, University of Texas at El Paso *



Book Information
ISBN 9780190869465
Author Maria Inclan
Format Hardback
Page Count 184
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 318g
Dimensions(mm) 145mm * 211mm * 23mm