In this reading, Carwill Bjork-James talks about the Bolivian social movement, focusing on discussing the strategies used by activists. I found the term “Sovereign Street” pretty interesting, especially in how it highlighted how urban protesters built their base of supporters by protesting in public spaces. I enjoyed this premise because it is not often that social movements where people try to take control of their fates in third-party countries are successful.
I really enjoyed this reading because it gave me a deeper understanding of what kinds of obstacles social movements such as the one in Bolivia face. I know that grassroots movements require a lot of mass mobility and cohesiveness. However, I do not know how governmental opposition, general discontinuity, and political intervention could play a role in fragmenting social movements. I also enjoyed how the leaders of these social movements were portrayed in interviews. Normally, these leaders would be seen as just that, leaders. However, in the interviews, it was seen that they were portraying themselves as simply the face of the people who are their main focus.
Overall, I enjoyed this reading as it gave me a unique perspective on an issue I rarely encounter. One question I would ask myself is, “how is this grassroots movement different from others/what differences lead this movement to continue to be cohesive in the face of governmental pushback whereas other grassroots movements fail?”