Imagining Zapatismo: The Anti-globalisation Movement and the Zapatistas

Abstract

Recent protests against corporate globalisation in Seattle, Washington, Prague, Melbourne and Quebec City suggest the emergence of a new anti-globalisation movement. These protests have been linked to forms of 1960s radicalism, situationism and anarchism. Others herald this protest as the beginning of a new global movement, of a 'new community' or a 'new culture' in the making. This paper investigates these pronouncements about 'newness' and examines the use of Zapatista iconography in recent anti-globalisation protests, including S11 in Melbourne. It questions why the Zapatistas, a movement of primarily low-waged, indigenous Mexican peasants who rose up against the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement has captured the imagination of activists. It focuses on the novel forms of communication used by the Zapatistas, and their use of poetry, song, stories and symbolism. The paper critiques pronouncements of the Zapatistas as a postmodern movement and argues that the Zapatistas represent the seeds of a different kind of politics and the revival of hope in political activism. Acknowledging the cultural borrowing of the symbolism and strategies of the Zapatistas is central to any understanding of the nature of the contemporary anti-globalisation movement.

Keywords:

• Zapatista
• Anti-GLOBALISATION
• Postmodernity
• Activism