Companeras: Zapatista Women's Stories

(Paperback)

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This is the untold story of the women of the Zapatista movement and the roles they played in the guerrilla army. Gathered by longtime community organiser Hilary Klein, the Zapatista women's own recollections of their lives, struggles and critical involvement bring to light the tremendous transformation of gender roles that has occurred in this culture of revolution. Instructive for all who are committed to examining how existing grassroots alternatives to global capitalism can guide the way toward justice, equality and democracy.

Reviews

"A guiding light for a new generation of feminists and others who would challenge patriarchy, poverty, gender oppression, racism, and all the other inhumanities maintained by global capitalism."Elaine Brown, Black Panther Party leader and author ofA Taste of Power and The Condemnation of Little B

"Beautifully written, Compaeras is a story of love and courage that gives a new depth to our understanding of the Zapatista movement and resonates beyond Chiapas."Silvia Federici, author of Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation

"Belongs on the bookshelves of social justice activists and scholars everywhere." Chandra Talpade Mohanty, author of Feminism Without Borders

"Hilary Klein is a major talent and a welcome fresh voice."Luis Alberto Urrea, Pulitzer Prize finalist for The Devils Highway

"Compaeras is a powerful testament to the collective vision and lucha of the Zapatista women. Here are the intimate stories of becoming politicized as mujeresof taking risks, questioning everything, and rewriting history. This book is a guide for anyone who is trying to walk a new camino at the intersection of gender, class, and race struggles." Daisy Hernndez, author of Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Todays Feminism

"Full of gritty insights ... Compaeras is as moving as it is eye-opening." Cynthia Enloe, author of Bananas, Beaches and Bases

"The most complete, well-documented, and moving work about the struggle of Zapatista women spanning twenty years and told from the indigenous communities of Chiapas own heart." Guiomar Rovira, author of Mujeres de Maz

"The perfect mix of good storytelling, careful documentation, and the sympathetic observation of someone who lived and worked among the Zapatistas for six years ... Reading Compaeras gives me hope." Margaret Randall, author of Sandinos Daughters Revisited and Che on My Mind

"This is a book that should be on every activists reading list, and inevery social studies class."Raj Patel, author of The Value of Nothingand Stuffed and Starved

"Klein has made a tremendous contribution to the world ...Compaeras would be a delight to use in college courses in WomensStudies, Latin American Studies, Sociology, or Political Science."Karen Kampwirth, author of Feminism and theLegacy of Revolution: Nicaragua, El Salvador, Chiapas

"This is a book for women and men, for activists and for students,for survivors and world-changers, for the oppressed, the poor, andthe precarious. Onwards compaeras y compaeros!"Peter Linebaugh, author of Stop, Thief!The Commons, Enclosure, and Resistance

"Hilary Klein has provided us with the most beautiful gift ... I wasbeyond moved by this book. I love it. It is a tool for constructing freedom,by women, in the creation of new worlds."Marina Sitrin, author of Everyday Revolutions:Horizontalism and Autonomy in Argentina

Author Bio

Hilary Klein has been engaged in social justice and community organizing for twenty years. She spent six years in Chiapas, Mexico, working with women's projects in Zapatista communities. She currently works at Make the Road New York, a membership-based community organization that works with immigrant and working-class communities to achieve dignity and justice. Hilary is originally from Washington, DC, and currently lives in New York, NY. Companeras is her first book.