Eastern Michigan University
DigitalCommons@EMU
Senior Honors Theses
Honors College
2012
Social Movements in Latin America: Political
Process Theory and Repertoires of Contention
Ariani Gil-Regalado
Eastern Michigan University
Follow this and additional works at: http://commons.emich.edu/honors
Recommended Citation
Gil-Regalado, Ariani, "Social Movements in Latin America: Political Process Theory and Repertoires of Contention" (2012). Senior
Honors Theses. 315.
http://commons.emich.edu/honors/315
This Open Access Senior Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors College at DigitalCommons@EMU. It has been
accepted for inclusion in Senior Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@EMU. For more information, please contact [email protected].
Social Movements in Latin America: Political Process Theory and
Repertoires of Contention
Abstract
This paper seeks to examine three distinct cases of contemporary Latin American social movements, and
explain their origins and the effectiveness of their collective action in terms of the political process theory and
the concept of repertoires of contention respectively. The three cases in question are the Movimento dos
Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (The Landless Rural Worker's Movement, MST) in Brazil, the Ejercito
Zapatista de Liberaci6n Nacional (Zapatista Army of National Liberation, EZLN) in Mexico and the Caracazo
(roughly translated, "the Caracas Smash") in Venezuela. This paper ultimately hopes to prove that all three
cases are explained by the political process theory and seeks to answer whether or not the repertoires of
contention chosen by each group of citizens were effective.
Degree Type
Open Access Senior Honors Thesis
Department
Political Science
First Advisor
Richard Stahler-Sholk
Second Advisor
Ed Sidlow
This open access senior honors thesis is available at DigitalCommons@EMU: http://commons.emich.edu/honors/315