| This dissertation presents a synthesis of American and European approaches of social movement studies and integrates insights from media studies into a space-sensitive model for explaining contentious politics under conditions of advanced globalization. The heuristic utility of this new model is illustrated in an analysis of the relationship between the Zapatistas' local struggle for land and indigenous self-determination, the national struggle for democratization, and the global struggle against neoliberalism. The insurgent indigenous peasants of Chiapas rose up in arms under conditions of relative economic and political deprivation at a particularly opportune moment after developing a project of insurgency and acquiring significant organizational strength. Yet the Zapatistas were able to hold out against the Mexican federal army only because of their ability to gain media attention and their efforts to link up to broader struggles and forge ties with a national and even transnational constituency. By launching initiatives, such as the National, Continental, and Intercontinental Conventions, Encounters, and Consultations, the Zapatistas managed not only to keep public attention and support alive but also to serve as a catalyst for the articulation of transcultural protest against the neoliberal mode of globalization. The emerging transnational resistance network cut across borders and connected individuals, groups, and organizations who were engaged in a multiplicity of diverse projects. What was a strategic necessity for the Zapatistas' survival vis-a-vis overwhelming military force contributed at the same time to the communicative construction of an incipient global civil society. |
