Some time ago I argued on this RED Listserve that there are hundreds of communities already involved in constructing their own societies on the margins of the capitalist states of which they are a part. (I enclose a published version of that contribution for those who dont recall our shorter piece, so nicely mentored by Dev) These groups are forming alliances and networks on a global scale (I.e., consider the example of the Territories of Life consortium whose participating members occupy as much as one-quarter of the planet's land area; or the efforts of the Global Tapestry of Alternatives, whose origins are in India, but now extend widely across the globe). Most of these groups are explicitly confronting inherited challenges, such as women's participation and significance in governance and socio-cultural definition, as well as the need to reshape their food and production systems while caring for their natural environments, while assuming control of their territories.
Here in Mexico, of course, is the iconic example of the Zapatistas, whose ranks now number perhaps one-half million people from several different ethnic groups of Mayan origin. Their present foray into Europe to explore the paths to constructing international solidarity is a notable complement to the work that they are doing within Mexico with their allies in the National Indigeous Congress, with its 25 million members. Other sizable groups with less international visibility include the Tosepan Cooperative founded in 1977 and with almost 200,000 members at present. Resistance struggles against capitalist mega projects are also mobilizing uncounted numbers of communities who are now realizing the importance of moving beyond protest to forge their own models of societies moving forward.
Abrazos and Saludos from Mexico ---