ABSTRACT
ONE OF THE great paradoxes in Latin America is that the cities have grown more violent and uncivil in many ways, but at the same time impressive new movements and associations have sprung up. What is “new” is debatable, but most analysts agree that these movements (which include some that have already been discussed, such as the MST) differ from the past in regard to their determination to avoid co-optation by parties and the state, their resistance to neoliberalism (or at least globalization, neoliberal style), and the greater emphasis they place on “inclusion”—overcoming barriers to participation posed by race, class, and gender. This makes it difficult to decide whether to be pessimistic because of the deterioration of civility and security or to be optimistic because associational life has become more deeply rooted and sophisticated in its politics.
