The openMovements series invites leading social scientists to share their research results and perspectives on contemporary social struggles.
Scene from the APPO clashes with the state government in Oaxaca, June 2006. Wikimedia/Trebolbit. Some rights reserved.The state of Oaxaca is located in southeastern Mexico. The state has a total population of about 3.5 million; at least a third are speakers of indigenous languages. Besides that, it is one of the poorest states in the country. But it has, too, a long history of popular struggles against the state. Three governors were ousted in the twentieth century. In this rich tradition of political struggles, teachers have been very important, especially in the last three decades.
June of 2016 marked the 10 year anniversary of the start of one of the more relevant political struggles in recent history, not only in Oaxaca but in the whole of Mexico, and with some resonance abroad. The name of the Popular Assembly of Oaxaca’s Peoples/ Asamblea Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca — APPO, in Spanish — travelled in 2006 throughout the latitudes of the world. APPO synthesised the eagerness, hopes and efforts of thousands of women and men who were then calling for the ousting of a governor who had been accused of being corrupt, a repressor, a despot, and criminal. For approximately four months, the APPO kept control of the state capital, practically impeding the functions of public powers and taking over some of the media outlets including radio stations and Oaxaca’s public broadcasting television channel.
