On January 1, 1994 in the far southeast of Mexico, a guerrilla army of indigenous Mayan peasants calling itself the Zapatista Army of National Liberation rose up in rebellion against 500 years of colonialism, imperialism, genocide, racism, and neoliberal capitalism. Zapatismo Beyond Borders examines how Zapatismo, the political philosophy of the Zapatistas, crossed the regional and national boundaries of the isolated indigenous communities of Chiapas to influence diverse communities of North American activists. Providing readers with anthropological perspectives that draw on a year of fieldwork with activists, and also enriched by the author's own experience with contemporary social justice struggles, Alex Khasnabish examines the "transnational resonance" of the Zapatista movement. He shows how the spread of Zapatismo has unexpectedly produced new imaginations and practices of radical political action in diverse socio-political movements throughout North America. Zapatismo Beyond Borders is an engaging study of a radical political philosophy that has been both a model for grassroots organizations and a rallying call for members of the anti-globalization movement. Rigorous and engaged, this will be of interest to anyone interested in indigenous rights movements, political philosophy, and the recent history of political activism.

Examines the isgnificance of the Zapatista struggle within the broader context of North American political activism since 1994.

In the early hours of January 1, 1994 a guerrilla army of indigenous Mayan peasants emerged from the highlands and jungle in the far southeast of Mexico and declared "¡Ya basta!" - "Enough!" - to 500 years of colonialism, racism, exploitation, oppression, and genocide. As elites in Canada, the United States, and Mexico celebrated the coming into force of the North American Free Trade Agreement the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, EZLN) declared war against this 500 year old trajectory toward oblivion, one that they said was most recently reincarnated in the form of neoliberal capitalist globalization that NAFTA represented. While the Zapatista uprising would have a profound impact upon the socio-political fabric of Chiapas its effects would be felt far beyond the borders of Mexico. At a moment when state-sponsored socialism had all but vanished from the global political landscape and other familiar elements of the left appeared utterly demoralized and defeated in the face of neoliberal capitalism's global ascendance, the Zapatista uprising would spark an unexpected and powerful new wave of radical socio-political action transnationally. Through an exploration of the Zapatista movement's origins, history, structure, aims, political philosophy and practice, and future directions this book provides a critical, comprehensive, and accessible overview of one of the most important rebel groups in recent history.

In 1994 a guerilla army of Indigenous Mayan peasants in Southeast Mexico emerged and declared 'Enough!' to 500 years of colonialism, racism, exploitation, oppression and genocide. The effects of the Zapatista uprising were profound and would be felt beyond the borders of Mexico. At a time when state-sponsored socialism had all but vanished and other elements of the left appeared defeated in the face of neoliberalism's ascendancy, the Zapatista uprising sparked a powerful new wave of transnational socio-political action. In exploring the movement's origins, history, structure, aims, political philosophy and possible new directions, Alex Khasnabish provides a critical and comprehensive overview of one of the most important rebel groups in recent history.

In this work I explore what I have termed the "transnational resonance" of Zapatismo---the political philosophy and practice of the Zapatista movement located in Chiapas, Mexico---and its attendant political imagination amongst activists living and working in the United States and Canada. In so doing, I examine the bases, mechanisms, and consequences of this resonance both for the Zapatistas and for these activists and their struggles far beyond the borders of Mexico. Strongly implicated in this focus are issues of the building of transnational and even global social movements and the potentials of and challenges to radical collective socio-political action across borders.

The unexpected insurrection of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation in 1994 toppled the notion that the triumph of neoliberalism represented the end of history. In the clamor that followed, a masked, pipe-smoking horseman appeared as the spokesperson for the indigenous rebels. In this book, Nick Henck provides a concise and accessible overview of the life, thought, and achievements of the professor-turned-guerrilla Subcomandante Marcos. Through his academic exodus and immersion in the indigenous communities of the Lacandon jungle, to his participation in a guerilla army, to his eloquent articulation of the struggles of oppressed peoples around the world, Marcos became a revered and inspiring enigma. Henck explores Marcos's considerable accomplishments in four main fields: his role as spokesperson for the Zapatistas; his contribution to Latin American literature and a new political language for the left; his work in making Mexico a more democratic, inclusive, and just nation; and his role as an inspirational international political icon. Published for the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Zapatista uprising, this book is not just a biography but also a reminder that there are alternative ways of doing politics: that another world is possible.

Beyond Resistance uncovers the relevance and importance of the Zapatista's Other Campaign for people living and struggling in the United States.