Introduction

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To depict forms of political activism as ‘politics by other means’ is to propose wide and encompassing parameters for what constitutes politics and who counts DV D UHOHYDQW SROLWLFDO DFWRU )RU5DQFLqUH ZKDW LV UHFRJQLVHG DV SROLWLFDODFWLRQLVIDUIURP¿[HGDQGWKLVG\QDPLVPLVEXLOWLQWRWKHYHU\PHDQLQJ

RIµGRLQJSROLWLFV¶+HZULWHVµ>S@ROLWLFDODFWLRQFRQVLVWVLQVKRZLQJDVSROLWLFDO ZKDWZDVYLHZHGDV³VRFLDO´³HFRQRPLF´RU³GRPHVWLF´,WFRQVLVWVLQEOXUULQJWKH boundaries’. More to the point, social movements interact with state systems and societies in a wide variety of ways, often ‘blurring boundaries’ by recasting economic, social or cultural issues as political ones and bringing them to the DWWHQWLRQRIQHZFRQVWLWXHQFLHV,QUHFHQWGHFDGHVVRFLDOPRYHPHQWVFKRODUVKDYH put a great deal of energy into understanding how activists mobilise support and DUWLFXODWHWKHLUFRQFHUQVWREURDGHUDXGLHQFHVVHHIRUH[DPSOH6QRZHWDO 6QRZDQG%HQIRUG7D\ORU DQG9DQ'\NH%XW DFWLYLVWVGRQ¶W MXVW FRQWHVW DQG SROLWLFLVH FXOWXUH WKH\ FUHDWH LW WRR ,Q /DWLQ $PHULFD FXOWXUDO producers – poets, painters, writers and musicians – have often been at the

forefront of movements for political change. However, existing social movement VFKRODUVKLSR൵HUVRQO\DYHU\OLPLWHGWRRONLWIRUXQGHUVWDQGLQJWKHUROHRIDUWDQG creative expression in contentious politics. Recent publications on Latin American VRFLDOPRYHPHQWVLQSDUWLFXODUWHQGWRQHJOHFWWKHVHLQÀXHQWLDOPRGHVRISROLWLFDO claim-making and expression, focusing more on the evolving political environment and the complex relationship between neoliberalism, globalisation and democracy LQWKHSRVW&ROG:DUHUDVHH-RKQVWRQDQG$OPHLGD3HWUDVDQG9HOWPH\HU 7KHUHVHDUFKSUHVHQWHGLQWKLVERRNVHHNVWRDGGUHVVWKHVHJDSVE\H[SORULQJ the cultural productions of activists in Latin America and by honing in on a VSHFL¿FW\SHRUFDWHJRU\RIµSROLWLFVE\RWKHUPHDQV¶7KLVERRNLVDERXWµSROLWLFDO street art’.