John A. Booth

Peasants As Activists: A Reevaluation of Political Participation in the Countryside

S ocial scientists have long characterized peasants as politically passive and uninvolved in day to day political activity. Latin American peasants in particular have been singled out as politically nonparticipant. For example, anthropologists Diaz and Potter (1967: 159) state that In Latin America . . . the striking thing is the relative absence of a sense of association, which makes it extremely difficult lor peasants in thisarea to organize to meet thechallengesofthe modern world. Similarly. sociologists Landsberger and Hewitt (1970: 559) emphasize that It is unfortunate but true that peasant organizations have been difficult to establish in Latin America. Political scientists