Becoming a Plebeian Leader

In Becoming a Plebeian Leader, José Antonio Villarreal Velásquez examines situations where ordinary women and men become plebeian leaders in urban-popular neighborhoods. Combining oral history, archival research, and ethnography, the book examines plebeian leaders' moral careers through and within the meaningful and fluctuating connections among urban-popular neighborhoods in the city, and the nation-state from 1960 to the present time. Specifically, Villarreal Velásquez reconstructs, compares, and explains the historical, sociological, and political formation of two plebeian leaders' moral career paths in Guayaquil (Ecuador); the skills, feelings, and knowledge they acquired to perform their tasks and operate within societal hegemonic frameworks and large-scale structural transformations. Becoming a Plebeian Leader will be of interest to researchers studying urban popular politics in the Global South.

José Antonio Villarreal Velásquez is an Associate Professor at FLACSO, Ecuador in the Departments of Sociology and Gender Studies. His research interests are related to the fields of urban history, political ethnography, collective action, and socio-political practices, among others.

Introduction. Part 1: Embodying Plebeian Leadership. Interpersonal Ritual Acts, Ceremonial Behaviors, Guayaquil's Land Seizures Processes, and the Developmental State in Guasmo and Bastión Popular (1960-1985) Chapter 1: Remembering Plebeian Leadership as a Moral Career in Guasmo Chapter 2: Embodying Plebeian Leadership: Betty's First Steps in Nuevos Horizontes Chapter 3: Remembering Plebeian Leadership as a Moral Career in Bastión Popular Chapter 4: Embodying Plebeian Leadership: Juan's First Steps in Bastion Popular Part 2: Being a Plebeian Leader. Theatrical Performances, Crafting Sacred Goods, Guayaquil's Urban Development, and The Neoliberal State in Guasmo and Bastión Popular (1986-2005) Chapter 5: in Nuevos Horizontes (I) Chapter 6: Crafting Public or Sacred Goods as a way of Building the Neighborhood, the City, and the State from Scratch in Nuevos Horizontes (II) Chapter 7: in Bastión Popular Part 3: Defending Plebeian Leadership. Defensive Behaviors, the Citizen Revolution, and The Post-Neoliberal State in Guasmo and Bastión Popular (2006 - Onwards) Chapter 8: Forging a Defensive Behavior and the Twilight of Plebeian Leadership in Nuevos Horizontes Chapter 9: Forging a Defensive Behavior and the Twilight of Plebeian Leadership in Bastión Popular. Conclusions