Teaching Rebellion: Stories from the Grassroots Mobilization in Oaxaca

by Diana Denham (Editor), C.A.S.A Collective (Editor)

In 2006, Oaxaca, Mexico, came alive with a broad and diverse movement that captivated the nation and earned the admiration of communities organizing for social justice around the world. The show of international solidarity for the people of Oaxaca was the most extensive since the Zapatista uprising in 1994. Fueled by long ignored social contradictions, what began as a teachers” strike demanding more resources for education quickly turned into a massive movement that demanded direct, participatory democracy. Hundreds of thousands of Oaxacans raised their voices against the abuses of the state government. They participated in marches of up to 800,000 people, occupied government buildings, took over radio stations, called for statewide labor and hunger strikes, held sit-ins, reclaimed spaces for public art and created altars for assassinated activists in public spaces. In the now legendary March of Pots and Pans, two thousand women peacefully took over and operated the state television channel for three weeks. Barricades that were built all over the city to prevent the passage of paramilitaries and defend occupied public spaces, quickly became a place where neighbors got to know each other, shared ideas and developed new strategies for organizing. Despite the fierce repression that the movement faced—with hundreds arbitrarily detained, tortured, forced into hiding, or murdered by the state and federal forces and paramilitary death squads—people were determined to make their voices heard. “Once you learn to speak, you don”t want to be quiet anymore,” an indigenous community radio activist said. Accompanied by photography and political art, Teaching Rebellion is a compilation of testimonies from longtime organizers, teachers, students, housewives, religious leaders, union members, schoolchildren, indigenous community activists, artists, journalists, and many others who participated in what became the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca. This is a chance to listen directly to those invested in and affected by what quickly became one of the most important social uprisings of the 21st century.

Genres: Education, Politics, Nonfiction, History, Activism

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2008

Reviews

[Spicy T AKA Mr. Tea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds me of the best traditions of Indymedia. Individuals who are apart of collective social struggle articulating their views on that struggle while exploring how they got to the rebellion in Oaxaca, Mexico. Some stories came from teachers, some from seniors, some from indigenous people, some from youth, some from parents, some from peasants, some from activists, some from journalists, and some from women--just an amazing array of stories about the uprising against Ulises Ruiz Ortiz in Oaxaca, Mexico in 2006. All the essays are around 6 pages each which means more voices and each story had progressions that told specific stories about who they were and how the social rebellion directly impacted their lives. The stories painted an amazing portrait of the uprising from multiple sectors of the movement. There wasn't a long introduction nor was there some academic trying to abstract the whole thing--just everyday people talking about their experiences that fed into a collective, historical struggle for dignity and justice against a massively armed state that used violence and repression against them. Inspiring and highly recommended! Did I mention all the amazing photography? Well, there's that too.

[Tom Crehore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stories from people who created a new world not because they wanted to, but because they had to. The interviews reflect the different groups involved and necessary in economic and political struggles, and tell the stories just as those interested in justice should hear. This book is well written, expertly edited, visually striking, gives good advice and is so inspirational.

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book that provides a good balance of personalized stories and contextual analysis. A definitely must-read for anyone travel to Mexico for anything more that the beautiful beaches.

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is astonishing. Having traveled to Oaxaca in college, I was vaguely aware of the teacher's union protest in the early 2000s and the harsh government response to it by the Oaxaca state government. But I had no idea the extent of the repression and the mobilization of even the average apolitical citizen in response to these authoritarian measures which left many Mexican citizens either dead or in jail and killed an American journalist. The people came out in such force that it essentially shut down the state for months on end. The testimonies cover a remarkable amount of territory and perspectives. I think a better title for this collection would be "Surviving Dystopia". I think the current title is misleading.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on www.jimbotimes.com:

A book is like a grand vision, and every now and then we have the fortune to come across one so rich with life that it seems to flow right off the page and into our own world. Diana Denham and the C.A.S.A. collective’s Teaching Rebellion – Stories from the Grassroots Mobilization is one such book.

In 2006, over 20,000 educators in Oaxaca, Mexico waged an annual strike for better schools and working conditions, erecting a planton or camp at the zocalo i.e. the center of the city, to make their demands heard.

At dawn on June 14, 2006, on the orders of then Governor Ulises Ruiz police helicopters riddled the camp with teargas from above, while officers on the ground assaulted protesters in mass. The message was clear: there was to be no more protest in the zocalo.

But the teachers resisted, and refused to abandon their planton. They gathered rocks where they could, and fought off the police for over two hours into the morning sunshine.

Ultimately, the police ran out of teargas, and while they inflicted considerable damage to the planton, the protesters successfully defended themselves. In the hours that followed, a myriad of previously passive observers of the strike showed up to the camp, bringing with them food and blankets to show their support.

It would be a victory for the union and its allies, but only the first in a long string of battles with government forces over the next year into circa July 2007.

Teaching Rebellion honors this time, providing readers with coverage of the teacher’s movement through its growth and evolution into the Popular People’s Assembly of Oaxaca or APPO, which would serve as the coalition of many different teachers, workers, and other allies, and which would accumulate many more challenges as a result.

In revolutionary tradition, the book lends its pages to the voices of The People who formed the APPO, including women, elders, students, children, and even the imprisoned. Each one of them is real, and could be anyone of the millions of people who make up Los Angeles today, including yours truly.

teaching-rebellion-cover

I first gained interest in Teaching Rebellion following news of the recent events in Nochixtlán, Oaxaca this past June. Similar to their counterparts from ten years ago, the latest generation of educators in Oaxaca are standing up against government reforms which only cheapen and constrict their labor in the classroom.

As before, the battle taking place in Nochixtlan is as difficult as that of Oaxaca’s in 2006, and an understanding of it requires more than what one pair of eyes can give. It is a class struggle as much as it is a struggle for indigenous rights, but it goes back not just to Spanish colonialism 500 years ago, but even beyond then to pre-Columbian systems of power in the Americas.

Still, Teaching Rebellion is a collection of some of the latest developments of this struggle today, showing those of us who want to be allies of the disenfranchised in our own communities just how our support can develop.

At the end of the narrative section, the book offers a study guide for readers who want to take their knowledge further, including both individual and group activities for reflection.

It is a true revolutionary spirit, and as such, gains full approval and support from The L.A. Storyteller. Any reader will find themselves much closer to Oaxaca than what the web offers today, and will be more empowered for doing so.

[Ms. Rogerson]

Ms. Land just gave me this one for my birthday. I'm excited to have some time to read it! Looks like it tells about the teachers who organized and protested throughout Oaxaca during the past decade.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what all histories/analyses of social movements should aspire to be like. Through interviews with a diverse group of participants in the struggles in Oaxaca in the early 2000s, a remarkably vivid picture of the movement emerges, with all its tragedies and triumphs.

[zaba · Rating 5 out of 5]

So inspiring!! Great stories from radical Mexicans!!

[Carol Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This contains fascinating individual stories of what really happened during the 2006 Teachers Strike in Oaxaca, Mexico.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the way this book was organized - context, personal narratives, more context, timelines, and a study guide. I'd be siked to do some of study guide activities with others.

[Jorge Aguirre · Rating 4 out of 5]

im reading this book right now and it is very interesting

[Rohit · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of personal stories of people who participated in the massive protests and uprisings in Oaxaca, Mexico in 2006. Generally speaking, the narratives are relatively short, and have a straightforward and even simplistic description and analysis of the events, to the point of sometimes feeling repetitive. The overall thrust of the analysis also feels somewhat dated; there is a strong anarchistic ethos that upholds autonomy and horizontalism and the vague notion of a united people, that was quite common in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but which I don't think has aged very well.

This book probably would be best read if one already has an understanding or background knowledge of the history of politics and society in Oaxaca, and has read more general analysis and history of the 2006 Oaxaca protests. Still, overall this was a worthwhile look into personalized accounts of a very important but underdiscussed event in Mexican history.

[Becca Buse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with stories from dozens of resisters that fought for justice during the teacher strike in 2006. Good for classrooms as well and has activities at the end that would work well for college or high school. There are fabulous photos in the book as well. I am glad I found this book and read it, otherwise I would have never learned about the power of collective activism that took place just a little over a decade ago in Oaxaca.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a good book in here, but it's repeated ad nauseum and without much depth. I know very little about Mexican history and this time in Mexico; from that standpoint as well as the organization of a grassroots resistance it is an interesting and worthwhile read. The problem is that after the first few stories nothing much new is added and the same basic series of events and retelling of occurrences takes place. That made for a disinteresting read and ultimately an uneven book.

[Kevin Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read into the accounts of the teacher's protests and how it impacts the communities in Mexico.

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read. Painful and frustrating, but also a tiny little bit hopeful.

[Mads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished after taking a 2 year break. So good, learned so much and want to continue to learn more

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done, very informative. A bit redundant at times, but the stories were moving.