Mothers and the Mexican Antinuclear Power Movement
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Garcia-Gorena, Velma, PUBLISHER: University of Arizona Press, ong>Inong> the early s construction began on a nuclear power plant at Laguna Verde ong>inong> the Mexican state of Veracruz. ong>Inong>itially, most local citizens were largely unconcerned with the prospect of havong>inong>g the nuclear plant ong>inong> their community. With the accidents at Three Mile Islong>andong> ong>andong> Chernobyl, however, residents' complacency toward the power plant soon turned to opposition. Protest groups such as the Madres Veracruzanas emerged to joong>inong> existong>inong>g environmental groups ong>inong> a fight to close down the facility. ong>Inong> "Mothers ong>andong> the Mexican Antong>inong>uclear Power Movement," Velma Garcia-Gorena traces the protest movement agaong>inong>st the Mexican government's Laguna Verde nuclear plant, outlong>inong>ong>inong>g the movement's formation, development, ong>andong> declong>inong>e. Documentong>inong>g the movement's key players ong>andong> turnong>inong>g poong>inong>ts ong>inong> superb detail, she ong>inong>terweaves important ong>historicalong> narrative with a deft examong>inong>ation of the events, framong>inong>g her analysis ong>inong> terms of ong>socialong> movement literature. ong>Inong> a departure from the more conventional New ong>Socialong> Movements approach to analyzong>inong>g antong>inong>uclear movements, Garcia-Gorena demonstrates how, ong>inong> many ways, movements of this kong>inong>d are not so new ong>andong> how a modified "political process" approach fits much better. With a sophisticated application of various ong>socialong> movements' paradigms, Garcia-Gorena ong>inong>corporates perspectives such as resource mobilization, political process paradigms, ong>andong> femong>inong>ist theory. Timely, well written, ong>andong> thoroughly researched, "Mothers ong>andong> the Mexican Antong>inong>uclear Power Movement" fills a major gap ong>inong> the literature on grassroots environmental movements ong>inong> Latong>inong> America. Both rich ong>inong> empirical detail ong>andong> convong>inong>cong>inong>g ong>inong> its conclusions, this study provides a broader understong>andong>ong>inong>g of Mexican ong>socialong> movements ong>andong> the quest for democracy ong>inong> developong>inong>g countries.