Dancing with Dynamite: Social Movements and States in Latin America
Ben Dangl breaks the sound barrier, exploding many myths about Latin America that are all-too-often amplified by the corporate media in the United States.  Read this much-needed book.—Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!Dancing with Dynamitedares to navigate the cloudy waters of Latin American social movements in the wake of the neoliberal wave, something which increasingly fewer thinkers and activists dare to do, but which turns out to be urgent.—Raúl Zibechi, Uruguayan journalist and author ofDispersing Power: Social Movements as Anti-State ForcesDangl brings complicated politics to life by infusing them with the magic, mystery and unbridled joy that invigorate social movements and permeate Latin American life in general.—Kari Lydersen, author ofRevolt on Goose Island: The Chicago Factory Takeover and What it Says About the Economic CrisisThe relationship between mass movements and left-leaning governments is enormously complex. The subject requires careful handling. You don’t have to agree with all of Dangl’s characterizations of Latin American leaders to get a great deal from this thoughtful and well-reported book.Dancingsucceeds in illuminating the gray zones between passion and power that must be negotiated on the road to building a humanist society everywhere.—Conn Hallinan,Foreign Policy in FocusDancing with Dynamiteis more than a simple romantic fascination with far-off, exotic revolutions. It offers a glimpse of what we might find beyond the crisis that has paralyzed us, the first inklings of that process that, should it come to fruition, is guaranteed to strike terror in the hearts of the Great Men of History.—Clifton Ross, forCounterPunchOn the whole, Dangl guides the reader through a rapid and fascinating survey of South America’s “pink tide”, capturing the vicissitudes of today’s relationships between social movements and states. That the book is more a combination of journalism and polemic than an academic text generally works to its advantage in terms of readability and accessibility, although it does miss opportunities to dialogue with, and be informed by a broader body of thought on the nature of the state and its relationship to society. However,Dancing with Dynamiteserves as a good primer for the newcomer to the region’s contemporary politics, while its revealing interviews add additional texture for closer observers of Latin America.—Jason Tockman,North American Congress on Latin AmericaThis book is important and, I dare say, necessary for everyone who cares about the potential of social movements to take the lead in their dance with power.—Malcolm Bell,InterconnectThe book prompts the reader to think about what we mean when we talk about social movements being co-opted or undermined by ‘the state’. The state is complex and if we treat it as an undifferentiated institution we may not identify clearly enough what the problem is.The lessons of this book for us in the UK concern both the possibilities and the pitfalls of the dance – as well as the need to support the progressive changes now sweeping Latin America.—Mike Geddes, forRed PepperDangl’s latest offering provides an opportunity for the subjects of the social changes underway in Latin America to speak for themselves and tell their own story.—Federico Fuentes, forGreen LeftAt the moment South America is a laboratory of practice.Dancing with Dynamiteis a fascinating account of the experiments happening there.—Matt Wasserman, forThe Indypendent