Citizenship and Social Movements: Perspectives from the Global South (Claiming Citizenship)

Debates over social movements have suffered from a predominate focus on North America and western Europe, often neglecting the significance of collective action in the global South. Citizenship and Social Movements seeks to partially redress this imbalance with case studies from Brazil, India, Bangladesh, Mexico, South Africa and Nigeria. This volume points to the complex relationships that influence mobilization and social movements in the South, suggesting that previous theories have underplayed the influence of state power and elite dominance in the government and in NGOs. As the contributors to this book clearly show, understanding the role of the state in relation to social movements is critical to determining when collective action can fulfil the promise of bringing the rights of the marginalized to the fore. Introduction: mobilization and social movements in the south the challenges of inclusive governance / Lisa Thompson and Chris Tapscott Social movements and rights claims: the case of action groups in the Niger Delta / Echosa E. Osaghae Why do garment workers in Bangladesh fail to mobilize? / Simeen Mahmud Mobilization through litigation: claiming health rights on asbestos issues in South Africa / Nardi Simpson and Linda Waldman Water and rights: state management in South Africa and India / Lyla Mehta, Lisa Thompson and Ndodana Nleya Environmental activism in Brazil: the rise of a social movement / Angela Alonso, Valeriano Costa and Débora Maciel The struggle towards rights and communitarian citizenship: the Zapatista movement in Mexico / Carlos Cortez Ruiz Participation, inclusion and development under conditions of social mobilization / Vera Schattan Coelho and Arilson Favareto Popular mobilization, party dominance and participatory governance in South Africa / Laurence Piper and Lubna Nadvi Contesting development, reinventing democracy grassroots social movements in India / Rajita Mohanty Social mobilization in Cape Town: a tale of two communities / Chris Tapscott. Past debates over social movements have suffered from a focus on Anglo-America and Europe, often neglecting the significance of collective actions of citizens in the Global South. This authoritative new title redresses this imbalance with case study material from movements for change in Brazil, India, Bangladesh, Mexico, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. In these examples, social movements have formed without the benefits of the structural or institutional resource base found in the North, and have persevered even when the state does not have the resources to effectively respond to collective demands. Each expert contribution points to the complexity of relationships that influence mobilization and social movements; unsettling the notion that social activism leads inexorably to democracy and development and questioning what motivates collective action and what does it achieve? This Authoritative Title Redresses The Predominantly Northern/western Bias In Social Movement Literature With Case Study Material From Movements For Change In Brazil, India, Bangladesh, Mexico, South Africa, Kenya And Nigeria.