Demanding the Land

Demanding the Land: Urban Popular Movements in Peru and Ecuador, 1990-2005 is a scholarly examination of land tenure and social movements in Latin America. Volume 1 analyzes the persistence of illegal urban land seizures during a period of neoliberal policy shifts. The text focuses on how impoverished populations in Quito, Ecuador, and Lima, Peru, sought essential services like potable water, electricity, and legal land titles despite the weakening of traditional social safety nets.

This work of political science and sociology explores the dynamics of squatter settlements and political participation. By studying ten specific neighborhoods, Paul Dosh identifies the factors that allow some community groups to succeed while others fail. The book provides a detailed account of how democratic municipal elections created new opportunities for urban popular movements to secure basic infrastructure and legal recognition within these changing economic landscapes.