“Seeking Rights from the Left represents a much needed advance in the study of comparative politics, left politics, and gender and sexuality studies more generally. Eschewing simplistic formulae, this book takes on the nuance and complexity of contemporary efforts to advance a progressive agenda in Latin America in a global context that is riven by contradictions. This volume offers a rich theoretical treatment, amply demonstrating the shortcomings of a single-issue approach to understanding political change. No one dedicated to understanding or driving progressive political change should miss the lessons from this book.” - S. Laurel Weldon, coauthor of The Logics of Gender Justice: State Action on Women’s Rights Around the World
“Seeking Rights from the Left is a pleasure to read. The contributors—a mix of established and younger authors, scholars, and activists—offer fresh perspectives on Latin America's ‘Pink Tide,’ bringing new knowledge and critical insights to bear on governments celebrated for being committed to principles of equality and diversity.” - Maxine Molyneux, Professor of Sociology at University College London
"Seeking Rights from the Left provides a relevant and nuanced overview of the extremely complex and diverse political processes commonly known as the Pink Tide in Latin America, focusing on gender and sexuality issues. . . . The book raises old and new questions about relationships among the left—broadly speaking—and feminist, women’s, gay, lesbian, and transgender political demands." - Nayla Luz Vacarezza, Mobilization
"The depth of analysis contained in this collection is remarkable. As the chapters reveal, the quest to secure political rights for women and the LGBT community during the Pink Tide era was full of contradictions and mixed results. However, as Sonia E. Alvarez suggests in her afterword, that is precisely what makes this a valuable contribution to the fields of Latin American Studies, Gender and Sexuality, and Politics: it provides a historical dimension to further understand the vibrant cultural developments of activists who remain committed to defend human rights today." - Ángela Pérez-Villa, Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology
"As an edited volume, the book is well organized and thematically coherent. . . . The introduction written by Elisabeth Jay Friedman and Constanza Tabbush should be carefully read and reread. Here the authors provide a wonderfully written exposition of the volume’s conceptual and methodological framework and the research questions animating not just its own empirical chapters but the broader field as well. As such, I recommend it (and the rest of the volume) to anyone teaching relevant graduate seminars." - Matthew Ward, Gender & Society
"Seeking Rights from the Left is an original and provocative comparative assessment of eight Pink Tide nations and their engagement with the demands of feminist and queer movements." - Julie Marzec, Latin American Politics & Society
“One of the strengths of this volume is that each chapter features many different voices–from the elite as well as the marginalized and from both political insiders and outsiders–in order to provide a full and complete picture of a critical period in Latin American history…. Seeking Rights from the Left is an intriguing and thought-provoking volume.”
- Evan C. Rothera,
Social Movement Studies
"Seeking Rights from the Left is a valuable addition to the growing body of literature on feminist and queer activism, and represents an important and timely contribution to scholarly understandings of the relationship between grassroots identity-based movements and state power." - Baird Campbell, Journal of Latin American Research
"Overall, the collection serves as a strong analysis of the Pink Tide, and the validity of the Left in Latin American politics, not content to pander to a political movement that, although a vital movement in the democratization of Latin America, is itself imperfect. The success of this collection comes, in part, from the nonlinear timeline allowing for a more detailed analysis of a country." - Hollie Fitzmaurice, Journal for the Study of Radicalism
“[Seeking Rights from the Left] is a must-read.... What this book illustrates is the need for any progressive movement to make its engagement with sexual and reproductive rights central rather than peripheral to its vision for a better Latin America.” - Cora Fernández Anderson, Journal of Latin American Studies
“Seeking Rights from the Left provides a nuanced analysis of the impact of the Left turn for the recognition and protection of women’s and LGBT+ rights. The book’s focus on state-society relations highlights the role of important political actors, from executives and the Catholic Church to women’s policy agencies, anti-discrimination institutions, NGOs, international organizations, and civil society.” - Juliana Restrepo Sanín, The Latin Americanist
“Seeking Rights from the Left takes up the important question of how far the grouping of post-dictatorship left-wing administrations known as the Pink Tide . . . managed to advance feminist goals for sexual, LGBTQ, and reproductive rights. . . . A richly researched volume.” - Rachel Nolan, Latin American Research Review
