Description: The political participation of public school teachers in new democracies has generated heated debates. In some countries, teacher strikes shutter schools for months each year; in others, teachers' unions have become powerful political machines and have even formed new political parties. To explain these contrasts, Mobilizing Teachers delves into changes in education politics and the labor movement. Christopher Chambers-Ju argues that union organizations fundamentally shape teacher mobilization, with far-reaching implications for politics and policy. With detailed case studies of Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico, this book is the first comparative analysis of teacher politics in Latin America. Drawing on extensive field research and multiple sources of data, it enriches theoretical perspectives in political science and sociology on the interplay between protests, electoral mobilization, and party alliances. This title is part of the Flip it Open Programme and may also be available Open Access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.
Brief description: Christopher Chambers-Ju is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Texas in Arlington. He has worked on education politics for nearly twenty years, in academic and policy circles, and has conducted field research throughout Latin America. He holds a Ph.D in in political science from UC Berkeley and was the recipient of the Spencer Dissertation Fellowship.
Review Quotes: 'Public unions are increasingly becoming the hegemonic labor actor in many developing and developed economies. This epochal shift is evident in Latin America, where the old private sector-based corporatist alliances melted, and teacher unions emerged as powerful forces in the 21st century. Drawing on extensive fieldwork, Christopher Chambers-Ju documents the nuts and bolts of teacher politics in three key cases in the region. The result is something we have been waiting for: a compelling account of alternative mobilization trajectories based on the organizational dynamics of teachers' unions, and an explanatory model with solid theoretical ambitions. This book is indispensable to understand the new political economy of labor in Latin America.' Sebastián Etchemendy, Associate Professor, Torcuato Di Tella University