Citizenship is back in the centre-stage of scholarly research on state and society in the contemporary world. This collection of essays, made up of original studies from across the global South, examines the ways in which through everyday action, citizens organise to extend the boundaries of rights, deepen the foundations of participation and exact accountable governance. Individually and collectively, the essays make an important statement about comparative democracy and governance enriched with the insights from the vast experiences of Southern social movements. Students across the social and human sciences will find the perspectives that are very ably presented on contemporary citizenship and social movements by some of the best scholars based in the global South both refreshing and invigoriating

Adebayo Olukoshi, African Institute for Economic Development and Planning

Analysing social movements in Bangladesh, India, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria and South Africa, this book presents a distinct and diverse picture of collective action – and also shows how this picture defies many of the theoretical assumptions of Northern literature on the subject. With a combination of concerns with historical and contextual background, specific characteristics of states and political systems, and cultural and political identities, this thorough and sophisticated analysis of the struggles around citizenship and rights provides a splendid venue for the debate on the limits and possibilities of social mobilization in confronting the deeply rooted and multidimensional inequality of Southern societies.

Evelina Dagnino, University of Campinas

This book offers a significant corrective to the Northern/western centric bias in much of the social movement literature and many of the case studies included offer evidence and insights through which the theoretical understandings of social movements could be refined and developed. Furthermore, through its specific focus on social movements, this volume makes an important contribution to the range of conceptual tools through which 'claiming citizenship' maybe understood and analysed.

Neil Stammers, University of Sussex