Colombian Peasants in the Neoliberal Age

Presenting the historical, socioeconomic, political, and security conditions experienced by three peasant communitiesColombian Peasants in the Neoliberal Age provides readers with the most up-to-date and comprehensive assessment of Colombia's peasants currently available. Nazih F. Richani examines their adaptive strategies and resistance to subsumption processes and the prospects for the sustainability of their modes of production, culture, and livelihood. In addition, he explores each communities' level of agency that has allowed them to respond to the encroachments of rentier economy by devising adaptive strategies and building collaborative networks, forging new partners at the national, regional, and global levels. These findings are timely given the historic change in Colombia's leadership as represented by President Gustavo Petro, a former rebel and a leftist leader, and his vice president Francia Elena Marquez, an Afro-Colombian woman activist. The Petro administration offers an exceptional opportunity for radical policy change toward national development, particularly towards peasants and agrarian issues. The research undertaken in this book holds the potential to enrich political discussions and inform new policies.

List of Illustrations
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Peasants in the Neoliberal Age, Theories and Research Question

1. The Emergence of the Neoliberal State, Rentier Economics, and the Agrarian Question

2. Rentierism, Cattle Ranching, and Food Insecurity in Colombia

3. Peasant Reserves’ Adaptability, Resistance, Subsumption, and War Rentierism

4. The Struggle for Survival: The Indigenous People

5. War Rentierism’s Impact on Afro‑Colombians in Cauca

Conclusion: Peasant Resistance and War Rentierism
Postscript
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index