Dancing with Dynamite: Social Movements and States in Latin America

by Benjamin Dangl

Grassroots social movements played a major role in electing new left-leaning governments throughout Latin America, but subsequent relations between the streets and the states remain uneasy. In Dancing with Dynamite , Benjamin Dangl explores the complex ways these movements have worked with, against, and independently of national governments. Recent years have seen the resurgence of worker cooperatives, anti-privatization movements, land occupations, and other strategies used by Latin Americans to confront economic crises. Using original research, lively prose, and extensive interviews with farmers, activists, and politicians, Dangl suggests how these tactics could be applied internationally to combat the exploitation of workers and natural resources. He looks at movements across the Americas, drawing parallels between factory takeovers in Argentina and Chicago and battles over water rights in Bolivia and Detroit. At the same time, he analyzes recurring problems faced by social movements, contextualizes them geopolitically, and points to practical examples for building a better world now . Benjamin Dangl has worked as a journalist throughout Latin America for the Guardian Unlimited , The Nation , and the NACLA Report on the Americas . He edits TowardFreedom.com, offering a progressive perspective on world events, and UpsideDownWorld.org, covering activism and politics in Latin America. Dangl is a recipient of two Project Censored Awards and teaches Latin American history and globalization at Burlington College in Vermont.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2010

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My score is really 3.5 stars, but I'll err to 4 because I like the subject matter so much.

I love the focus of this book--what happens to social movements when governments sympathetic with their aims come into power? Using this question to tour through several South American countries was informative and fascinating. I learned a lot, and it makes me want to obsess over South American history and politics in the immediate future.

Dangl puts forth many theories in this book. He makes his point best when he shares specific examples, which he needed to do a lot more of. I don't pick up a book to read surface-level analysis stating that progressive governments tend to demobilize or co-opt the social movements that brought them to power. I can get that from a Huffington Post article. I want to read a whole book on it to understand the actual dynamics of how that comes to be, what day-to-day decisions do movements face, what sorts of compromises do leaders of social movements accept or reject when dealing with supposedly sympathetic governments, how are these decisions made, what attempts are made to forestall this demobilization. Dangl does this at times in the book--particularly in his analysis of the landless movement in Brazil--and that's when his writing really shines.

But for too much of the book, he propounds theory only and fails to back it up with concrete examples. His chapter on Bolivia disappointed me in that way.

I feel like he was trying to get at a question that plagues most organizers at some point or another: what makes people fight, and what makes them stop? Perhaps his hypothesis is true, that social movements reduce their militancy when governments start to be actually responsive to social needs and demands for justice.

Maybe it's because I come from a highly conservative right-wing culture, but I feel like I've always known this: the vast majority of people don't actually want a revolution. They don't want to reshape the whole system and abolish the status quo and start anew. I think most people just want to get off work at a decent hour, have time to spend with their family, and reduce the strangling anxiety of barely (or not) getting by. Of course a reliance on progressive governance is short-term and offers no security, and I guess the task of organizers and movements is to build into ourselves and our people a deeper sense of ownership and empowerment than we tend to have now. But I can't blame folks for getting tired and wanting a rest when they finally have responsive allies in powerful places.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dug it. It explores social movements in Latin America's relationships with leftwing governments that were propelled into power by them, and how the State's most common reaction is to betray or water down, and seperate themselves from the movements. Only strong independent movements keep the States honest and connected. Venezuela is pretty fascinating, as the State feeds and is pushed by movements independent of it.

[Gemini · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book discussed so many of the issues that have faced certain South American countries. Being able to look at the construct of these socialist or capitalist governments & how they came to be along w/ the uprising of certain regimes (some good, some bad). Whether you agree or disagree, the process they went through as well as the fight made for a serious change in their communities & their countries. Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina are all discussed & the differences they endured in order to make change are all important stories that are not known nor taught in schools here. This is a way to be able to get some perspective of the US involvement of sticking their nose where it doesn't belong & the struggles people continue you to go through now.

[6655321 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dangl does an excellent job of creating a "South American Political Situation 101;" that is, while Dancing with Dynamite may not have the deepest analysis of any particular dialectic between grassroots movements and current liberal governments that they put in power he does provide his reader with an excellent overview of the tension between the movements and their electoral others. The only weakness is, naturally, this hedges everything in very broad narratives (supplemented with interviews and Dangl's firsthand accounts) which makes an in depth analysis of any particular movement using his work somewhat difficult; additionally, the chapter on the similarities to contemporary US movements felt rushed (although it certainly wasn't a "bad" idea) and I would've preferred more coverage of the various contexts. However, the strength of this (and the reason for my 4 stars rather than 3) is Dangl never tries to argue about what the best tactic or movement is in a particular context, evading the paternalism of some reportage (although he obviously sees the success of the MST as something laudable, but I'd argue its hard not to). A very solid and readable introduction to an understudied region for the global North.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate what Dangl was trying to do with this book, as it is an interesting and important topic. In the end, however, it felt to me like a very superficial treatment of the subject matter, similar to how I felt about his first book on social movements in Bolivia, The Price of Fire. 175 pages is simply not enough space to do justice to discussing the dynamics between social movements and states in seven countries in South America as well as links to the US. As an intro text, it may be useful. But for in-depth analysis and well-documented and supported arguments, I would look elsewhere. Finally, I feel it could have benefited from some stronger editing.

[Mirza Sultan-Galiev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent and succinct journalistic account of the relations between popular movements and left leaning state power in Latin America.
Also provides a good crash course in the fatal weaknesses of social democratic "anarchy lite".
Popular resistance movements will get nowhere "dancing" with the state, what we need is some good old Soviet dictatorship
(sorry Marcos and Hardt).

[Ellen]

Read the first chapter. Seemed super biased and a little factually inaccurate (based on my experience in Bolivia at the same time). Also, Dangl's effort to weave dancing metaphors in everywhere to complement his title annoyed me.

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't actually finish this.. It was interesting but it was not written in a way that kept my attention.

[Aaron]

so far, it's promising. there is MUCH to learn here.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very lucid summary of exceptional and powerful social movements in the last decade that are transforming LA into a hotbed of resistance to global capitalism!