Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers· 2026Q1
The Geographies of Latin American Social Movements Are More Than Just Territories in Resistance
- 4citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Latin American social movements are increasingly operating within complex 'political spaces' encompassing formal, informal, symbolic, and material arenas, moving beyond solely territorial resistance.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- The concept of 'territory' is insufficient for fully grasping current Latin American social movement complexity.
- A new analytical lens, 'political space,' is proposed to understand movement operations.
- 'Political space' encompasses formal, informal, symbolic, and material arenas.
- Movements engage in both contestation and institutional co-production within these spaces.
- The approach emphasizes situated and relational understandings of social struggles.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
ABSTRACT This article analyses social activism in Latin America in the light of its recent transformations, with an emphasis on the interactions between movements and political institutions. Based on a critical review of geographical literature, the authors argue that although the concept of territory remains relevant, it is not enough to understand the complexity of mobilisations at the moment. The concept of ‘political space’ is proposed as an analytical lens to understanding the multiple arenas—formal, informal, symbolic and material—in which activism operates, articulating both contestation and institutional co‐production. The article highlights the plural and often contradictory spatialities that shape contemporary social struggles and aims to contribute to a situated and relational approach that draws from Latin American debates.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Sociology and Political Science
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences