page_title: Neozapatismo
section_title: Internationalist component
hierarchical_section_title: Neozapatismo / Internationalist component
caption_attribution_description: English: A graphic of Marcos and the Anarcho-Communism symbol.
context_page_description: Neozapatismo or neozapatism is the political philosophy and practice devised and employed by Mexico's Zapatista Army of National Liberation, who govern a large territory in Chiapas and have done so since the beginning of the Chiapas conflict. Crucially, it is not an ideology, as the Zapatistas' The Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous General Command, has made clear: "Zapatismo is not a new political ideology or a rehash of old ideologies … There are no universal recipes, lines, strategies, tactics, laws, rules or slogans. There is only a desire: to build a better world, that is, a new world."
  Far from being some kind of cookie-cutter political ideology or one-size-fits-all program that can be exported elsewhere and applied in all locales then, neozapatismo serves to say something like: this is how we Zapatistas have confronted capitalism and existing power structures and hierarchies here in Chiapas, Mexico, it is up to you to see if, and how, our example of struggle and the lessons we have learned in waging that struggle, can be used to similar ends where you live. Hence the Zapatistas' spokesperson, Subcomandante Marcos has also stated:
  Zapatismo is not an ideology,
context_section_description: The Zapatista movement supports the idea of Internationalism as a means to liberate the world from capitalist oppression as they try to do themselves. As such it promotes cooperation with other similar movements and sympathizers worldwide.
  It was clear from the outset of the Zapatistas’ uprising that their horizons were not limited to Chiapas but instead their vision extended to the world at large. In their speeches and writings they talked of changing the world building another world or forging a new world. With the aim of reaching out to those living beyond the borders of Chiapas, and even Mexico, the Zapatistas have organized and hosted many events in their territory to which they invited people from numerous nations, and these have attracted attendees all over the globe.
  Some examples of such events include: The First Intercontinental Gathering For Humanity and Against Neoliberalism (1996); The First International Colloquium in Memory of Andrés Aubry: Planet Earth: Anti-systemic Movements; The First Encounter between the Zapatistas and the Peoples of the World (2007); The Second Encounter between the Zapatistas and the Peoples of the World (2007); The National and International Caravan for Observation and Solidarity with Zapatista Communities (2008); The Global Festival of Dignified Rage (2009); The Seminar on Critical Thought in the Face of the Capitalist Hydra (2015); The Zapatistas and ConSciences for Humanity (winter 2016-2017), and The Walls of Capital, the Cracks of the Left seminar (2017).
  
  At The First Intercontinental Gathering For Humanity and Against Neoliberalism, the Zapatistas declared their intention to: 
  …make a collective network of all our particular struggles and resistances. An intercontinental network of resistance against neoliberalism, an intercontinental network of resistance for humanity. This intercontinental network of resistance, recognising differences and acknowledging similarities, will search to find itself with other resistances around the world. This intercontinental network of resistance will be the medium in which distinct resistances may support one another.
  For their part, many people from all over world drew inspiration from the Zapatistas. The writings of Subcomandante Marcos and the Zapatistas have been translated into well over a dozen languages, including, in addition to most European languages, Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Tamil and Turkish.
  Two major book-length studies in English, and one in Spanish, have been published devoted entirely to detailing the international appeal of the Zapatistas. These are: Thomas Olesen, International Zapatismo: The Construction of Solidarity in the Age of Globalization (London: Zed Books, 2005); Alex Khasnabish, Zapatismo Beyond Borders: New Imaginations of Political Possibility (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008); and Guiomar Rovira, Zapatistas sin fronteras (Mexico City: Ediciones Era, 2009). In addition, a 2019 volume of the Mexican journal Contrahistorias contains articles detailing the reception, influence, and impact of neozapatismo in Brazil, Chile, China, Cuba and Iran. The same year saw the publication of Nick Henck’s Subcomandante Marcos: Global Rebel Icon (Montreal: Black Rose Books, 2019) which contained a chapter that summarizes, synthesizes and supplements the work of Khasnabish and Olesen on the international reach and appeal of neozapatismo in general and Subcomandante Marcos in particular.
  It is not surprising therefore that Subcomandante Marcos should have declared that “…Zapatismo’s connection was stronger with other countries than with Mexico...those who lived farther away were closer to us…”
  The Zapatistas, specifically Subcomandante Marcos, have made statements in favor of the Palestinian people's resistance and critical of Israel's policies in Palestine. He claimed that the Israeli army is an imperialist force attacking mainly innocent Palestinians.
  Subcomandante Marcos has also made statements supporting Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, the Cuban Revolution and the Cuban people.
caption: An image of Subcomandante Marcos with the Anarchist Communist symbol.
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