ABSTRACT
Politicians critical of United States foreign policy and the ensuing reign of neoliberalism are once more to the fore. In Venezuela, gubernatorial and mayoral elections favoured Chavistas – supporters of president Hugo Chavez in 2005, and re-elected Chavez as President on 3 December 2006. Through street protests, road closures and strikes, indigenous and poor people demanded attention to their plight and opposed the privatization of the country’s natural resources. Street politics have affected ballot box politics, as demonstrated in the elections of 18 December 2005, which resulted in a landslide triumph for the indigenous leader Evo Morales. In Latin America, cities are crucial to the negotiation of citizenship and governance. From celebrations and affirmations, to protests and violent acts, the case studies in this book illustrate the expanded terrain of citizenship practices challenging the ‘post-justice city’ and exploring alternative models of development and urban solidarity.
