The Contemporary Peasantry in Mexico : A Class Analysis

The peasantry is now a significant and influential social and political force within Mexico whose demands can no longer be ignored. This volume--based on three years of fieldwork in Mexico and drawing extensively on Mexican sources--examines the contemporary Mexican peasantry and its position within Mexican capitalism. The author explains the various ways in which the peasantry is included structurally within capitalist production, and shows how curent peasant struggles have advanced their power base within the country. She also elaborates the campesinista perspective, and describes how peasants use their community organizations to advance their struggles and achieve their own goals of development. The author's analysis of the peasantry and its relation to capitalism from the viewpoint of the peasantry itself is a groundbreaking and valuable addition to work on the subject.