Saturnino M. Borras Jr, Canada Research Chair in International Development Studies, Saint Mary's University, 923 Robie St, Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 3C3. e-mail: sborras@smu.ca. Marc Edelman, Professor of Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10065-5024, USA. e-mail: medelman@hunter.cuny.edu. Cristóbal Kay, Professor of Development Studies and Rural Development at the Institute of Social Studies (ISS), P.O. Box 29776, 2502 LT The Hague, The Netherlands. e-mail: kay@iss.nl
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Transnational Agrarian Movements: Origins and Politics, Campaigns and Impact
Article first published online: 25 APR 2008
DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0366.2008.00167.x
© 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
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How to Cite
BORRAS JR, S. M., EDELMAN, M. and KAY, C. (2008), Transnational Agrarian Movements: Origins and Politics, Campaigns and Impact. Journal of Agrarian Change, 8: 169–204. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0366.2008.00167.x
In putting together this collective project, we – the guest editors and contributors – became deeply indebted to many people. We would especially like to thank Henry Bernstein and Terry Byres for their intellectual and organizational support for this project. We also thank Elizabeth Fitting, Jonathan Fox, Stephen Greenberg, Susana Hecht, Gillian Hart, Ron Herring, Deborah Johnston, Ben Kerkvliet, Jens Lerche, George Meszaros, Peter Newell, Kevin O’Brien, Carlos Oya, Nancy Peluso and Anna Tsing. We are grateful to Jessica Penner for her excellent editorial work. Finally, we thank Saint Mary's University for financial and institutional support.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 25 APR 2008
- Article first published online: 25 APR 2008
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Keywords:
- transnational agrarian movements;
- peasant movements;
- global civil society;
- rural politics;
- class alliances;
- global governance;
- La Vía Campesina
This essay introduces a special issue of the Journal of Agrarian Change on transnational agrarian movements (TAMs). The contributors’ methods and subjects vary widely in geographical, temporal and political scope. The contributors to this collection share an understanding of TAMs’ complexity that grows out of an appreciation of the complicated historical origins and the delicate political balancing acts that necessarily characterize any effort to construct cross-border alliances linking highly heterogeneous organizations, social classes, ethnicities, political viewpoints and regions. This introductory essay outlines the TAMs’ deep historical roots and also explains why and how the authors in this collection see this complexity as an essential element in understanding TAMs. This complexity can be understood by looking at seven common themes: (i) representation and agendas, (ii) political strategies and forms of actions, (iii) impact, (iv) TAMs as arenas of action between different (sub)national movements, (v) class origins, (vi) ideological and political differences and (vii) the dynamics of alliance-building. By acknowledging TAMs’ contradictions, ambiguities and internal tensions, the authors also seek, from the standpoint of engaged intellectuals, to advance a transformative political project by better comprehending its origins, past successes and failures, and current and future challenges.