Coming Soon: The Democracy Center Book Tour

Dignity and Defiance: Stories from Bolivia's Challenge to Globalization

Enraging, unsparing, inspiring.

-- Naomi Klein, Author of "Shock Doctrine"


Globalization – it is a word that inspires many theories, but what does it really mean on the ground, in the lives of real people?

For nearly three years, the main focus of our work at the Democracy Center has been to research and write a serious, in-depth look at how the forces of globalization shape the lives of people in impoverished countries. Now, that book, Dignity and Defiance: Stories from Bolivia's Challenge to Globalization (University of California Press, 2009) is about to be published.

We need the help of our friends and readers to make this book launch a success!

In February 2009, the Democracy Center team that put this book together will be headed to the U.S. for a national tour. What we are cooking up is much more than a book tour. Along with Bolivian co-workers and friends, we'll be traveling from one coast of the U.S. to the other to use the book, videos, music and more as part of an educational tour about the impact of U.S. policy in Latin America.

We'll also be using the tour to get people involved in our new project, Voices from Latin America, aimed at bringing those voices into the U.S. debate. We'll have more to say about that project next week.

Dignity and Defiance is the story of one country, Bolivia, but it is representative of many countries around the world. The book tells the story of Bolivia's famous Water Revolt against Bechtel, and its aftermath. It travels to jungles and jails to trace the human impact of the U.S. war on drugs. It peddles by bike across the Bolivian highlands to document the disaster left behind by an Enron/Shell oil spill. It digs deep to trace how IMF economic policies led to bloodshed on the steps of the Bolivian Presidential Palace.

Dignity and Defiance also tells the story, from the ground up, of how people have fought courageously to keep globalization from swallowing their lives and to make it work to their benefit – as activists, workers, and immigrants. Ultimately the book is a story of inspiration, and it goes to the heart of what has drawn so much global attention to Bolivia.

How can you help?

The Democracy Center is already organizing events in four cities – San Francisco, Washington, New York, and Santa Fe. We are also working to put together events in many more places, including Seattle, Portland, Denver/Boulder, the Twin Cities, Chicago, Boston and more.

And this December we'll also be headed to the U.K. for the launching of the British edition of the book (Merlin Press), with events planned in London and Oxford.

We need groups to help host these events, to find venues, to help spread the word, and to join in with everything from playing music to offering us places to stay. If you are part of a group that can help host an event in one of these cities or another, or help in other ways, let us know!
And, obviously, we need financial support to make this tour possible. If you are faculty or a student at a university or another institution that can offer financial support for speakers or visits, consider inviting the Dignity and Defiance tour to town. Or if you are an individual who just wants to help, you can always make a donation to our work at the link here.

To get involved in the tour send us a note today to: mailto:book@democracyctr.org

To learn more about Dignity and Defiance visit here.

We hope to see many of you soon! Thank you as always for your interest and support.