Revolutionary Social Change In Colombia

James J. Brittain is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is also the co-founder of the Atlantic Canada-Colombia Research Group. James' primary research and teaching interests include the praxis of social change in Latin America, the relevance of classical social theory in contemporary geopolitics, and alternative forms of international development. James' most recent publications related to Colombia have appeared in Controversia, Cuadernos de Sociology, Development, Dollars & Sense, Global Dialogue, Journal for Peasant Studies, Labour, Capital and Society, Monthly Review, New Politics, Peace Review, Rethinking Marxism, Socialist Studies, The Saskatchewan Institute for Public Policy, Z Magazine, and Zed Books

This book presents an insider's account of Columbia's internal conflict. At the forefront are the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP).

Although they are one of the most powerful military forces in Latin American history, little is known about the FARC-EP. James J. Brittain explains where and why this political military movement came into existence and assesses whether the methods employed by the insurgency have the potential to free those marginalised in Colombia.


As democratic socialism develops in Venezuela and Bolivia, Brittain's fascinating study assesses the relevance of armed struggle to 21st century Latin American politics. This is an essential title for those wishing to develop a full understanding of the continent.


By evaluating the FARC-EP's actions, ideological construction, and their theoretical placement, the book gauges how this guerrilla movement relates to revolutionary theory and practice and through what tangible mechanisms, if any, they are creating a new Colombia.

Dedication; Acknowledgements; Prologue; List of Diagrams, Graphs, Maps, and Tables; List of Acronyms; Preface; 1. An Overview of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP): A History of Radicalism in the Countryside; 2. Ejercito del Pueblo: A Sociological Analysis of Radical Social Change; 3. Theorizing Revolution: The Importance of Colombia; 4. Colombia's Rural Political Economy in Historical and Contemporary Perspective; 5. The Political Economy of Coca in Colombia, Past and Present; 6. Dominant Class Reactionism: Far-Right Politics and Paramilitarism; 7. The FARC-EP's Relation to (Pre)Revolutionary Social Change; 8. Prospects for the Future: From 'Dual Power' to Taking Power; Bibliography; Index.