Uncivil Movements: The Armed Right Wing and Democracy in Latin America - Hardcover

Payne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0801862426 ISBN 13: 9780801862427

Publisher: John Hopkins University Press, 2000

Synopsis

Examining the experience of Latin American countries moving from authoritarianism to liberalization, Leigh Payne focuses on organized right-wing groups that take armed, often violent, action to destabilize emerging democratic governments. Although few social movement scholars include armed right-wing groups in their analyses, Payne points to the capacity of these groups to incorporate social movement discourse and practice in their own mobilization. She demonstrates how these uncivil movements gain power through political threats, cultural cues, and legitimating myths, developing their institutional skills to increase their political power in democracies.

Payne offers three detailed case studies of uncivil movements in Latin America: the Argentine carapintada, military officers who staged four armed rebellions and later developed a fairly successful political party; the Brazilian UDR (Rural Democratic Union), a landlords' lobby that mobilized to defeat agrarian reform legislation while simultaneously engaging in violent confrontations with rural labor leaders and environmentalists; and the Nicaraguan Contras, who fought for ten years against the leftist Sandinista government. Payne conducted extensive interviews with members of these movements and with members of the civilian government itself, dramatically illustrating her case studies with the words of participants. She concludes with an extensive comparative analysis in order to show that uncivil movements are not unique to Latin America: they are a common feature of the transition and consolidation process of new democratic regimes. By examining three Latin American countries, Payne suggests ways in which new democracies throughout the world can lessen, if not neutralize, the influence of uncivil movements.

About this title

Review:

"Leigh Payne greatly enriches our knowledge of Latin American transitions from authoritarianism to democracy... The literature on social movements, on politics, and on Latin America is significantly advanced by Payne's careful research and scholarly analysis." -- Martha Huggins, American Political Science Review

"This book is a welcome addition to the literature on social movements and democracy... A careful and important reminder of the persistent threats to democracy,... [offering] important strategies for how democratic governments can exploit tensions within such movements to reduce their overall power." -- Todd Landman, Journal of Latin American Studies

"Engrossing, illuminating, and frequently disquieting... In addition to analyzing the relationship between these uncivil movements and democracy, this book offers a fascinating look into the methods and mentalities of those who compose these movements." -- Margaret Power, The Americas

"Well-researched and powerfully argued... a courageous piece of fieldwork." -- Timothy J. Power, e-Extreme

"Leigh Payne's important book offers subtle and sophisticated theorizing backed by a wealth of data and observations." -- Virginia Quarterly Review

Review:

"The book provides a comprehensive analysis of three important movements in Latin America. Payne has done a fantastic job securing firsthand accounts from many of the leading actors in each of the movements. What emerges is a dramatic picture of what the world looks like from the inside, through the eyes of the leaders of these 'uncivil movements.'." -- Douglas Chalmers, Columbia University

About this edition

• Publisher: John Hopkins University Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0801862426
• ISBN 13: 9780801862427
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 328