Democracy for human dignity. Political social movements and citizenship as contributions to a reflection on democracy in Latin America. The case of the Zapatista Movement

Abstract

This article studies democracy in the Councils of Good Goverment (Juntas de Buen Gobierno, or JBG) in the Zapatista Movement. The JBGs are analysed as a study case for upholding a proposal for research into democracy in Latin America: that the political social movements in the region are, contrary to common belief, useful tools for the analysis and improvement of democracy in Latin America. The point of departure is that, according to the United Nations Development Programme (2004), effective elections live side by side with high levels of poverty and inequality in Latin America. This combination represents various risks for the continuity of democracy in Latin America. This piece of work joins forces in the task of researching and discussing democracy in order to assist in its taking root in Latin America. The article proposes: 1) a definition of democracy that is supported on human dignity, and 2) an analysis of the political social movements that are useful for the study of democracy. Starting out from this approach, the text looks into the political institutions and processes of the JBGs. The JBGs
are the institutionalization of the regional political management processes in the Zapatista territories. For that reason, is important to consider the JBGs in the improvement of democracy in Latin America.