Occupying Schools, Occupying Land

Book excerpt: In Occupying Schools, Occupying Land, Rebecca Tarlau looks at the Brazilian Landless Workers' Movement over the past thirty-five years to illustrate how social movements can use state services, such as schools, to support their social change goals. Through a detailed ethnographic and long-term examination of the MST's educational struggle, Tarlau shows how educational institutions can in turn help movements build capacity and social influence. This bookprovides an analysis of how activists convinced government officials to implement these educational practices and how these initiatives strengthened the movement.