Benjamin Dangl
New social movements have emerged in Bolivia over the â€œprice of fireâ€â€”access to basic elements of survival like water, gas, land, coca, employment, and other resources. Though these movements helped pave the way to the presidency for indigenous coca-grower Evo Morales in 2005, they have made it clear that their fight for self-determination doesnâ€™t end at the ballot box. From the first moments of Spanish colonization to todayâ€™s headlines, ,The Price of Fire, offers a gripping account of clashes in Bolivia between corporate and peopleâ€™s power, contextualizing them regionally, culturally, and historically., Benjamin Dangl has worked as an independent journalist throughout Latin America, writing for publications such as ,Z Magazine,, ,The Nation,, and ,The Progressive,. He is the editor of ,TowardFreedom.com,, a progressive perspective on world events, and ,UpsideDownWorld.org,, an online magazine covering activism and politics in Latin America. Benjamin won a 2007 Project Censored Award for his coverage of US military operations in Paraguay., â€œ,Price of Fire, is not yet another bleak â€˜tell-allâ€™ account of globalization, its pages are filled with stories of resistance, struggle and, above all, hope.â€â€”Teo BallvÃ©, editor of the ,NACLA Report on the Americas, and co-editor of ,Dispatches from Latin America, â€œBen Dangl takes the reader on an unforgettable and inspiring journey through Bolivia and neighboring countries, providing a window on the revolutionary struggles of the poor and dispossessed, and particularly on the resurgence of indigenous resistance and leadership.â€â€”Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of ,Blood on the Border: A Memoir of the Contra War, â€œMost Americans know nothing of Bolivia, an ignorance that only plays into the hands of empire. Ben Danglâ€™s book is both informative and inspiring, a cure for the apathy that grows from that ignorance. A must-read for those already interested in solidarity with Latin America and indigenous people.â€â€”Tom Hayden, author of ,The Zapatista Reader, and ,Street Wars, â€œBen Dangl has found himself under the skin of the Bolivian freedom struggle: he accurately represents its constraints, its opportunities, and its hopes.â€â€”Vijay Prashad, author of ,The Darker Nations: A Peopleâ€™s History of the Third World, â€œWith great empathy and lucid prose, Dangl captures the exemplary courage that has put Latin America in the vanguard of the new internationalism and has made it one of the few bright spots on an otherwise dismal global landscape.â€â€”Greg Grandin, author of ,Empireâ€™s Workshop, ",Price of Fire, by Ben Dangl informs, outrages, and builds hope. Peopleâ€™s movements for societal betterment in South America are an inspiration for human rights activists worldwide and Dangl gives us a full serving of encouragement and hope. He documents how historical imperialism, dominated my US corporate/government capital interests, is being successfully challenged by indigenous activists. ,Price of Fire, is the story of cultural resistance from the street to international geo-political alliances. I highly recommend this book for working people, students, and radical democrats to hear the voices of South American people and their chronicle of grassroots democratic empowerment."â€”Peter Phillips, Professor Sociology, Sonoma State University, Director Project Censored, and co-editor with Dennis Loo of ,Impeach the President: The Case Against Bush and Cheney
Cultural,Bolivia,Nonfiction,Social Issues,Social Movements,Politics,History,Latin American History
The Price of Fire: Resource Wars and Social Movements in Bolivia