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In Argentina, Colombia, and Peru, there has been an out-pouring of popular-performative activities that have asked citizens to pose questions about the social order and about the memories of recent atrocities. Cala Buendía looks at ways in which cultural producers adapted or developed strategies as resources for social actors to use for change.

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1. The Happiness of Pursuit 2. The Cultura Ciudadana Policy in Bogotá: Out-of-the Box Governance in a Violent City 3. The Cultural Resistance of Colectivo Sociedad Civil in Peru: Performing Citizenship in the Time of Fear 4. Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani and the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission: In a Very Imperfect World 5. The Eloísa Cartonera Initiative in Buenos Aires: The Poetics of Labor Conclusion: The Art of Voice

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"This is a timely and far-reaching comparative study of creative responses to economic and political crises in Colombia, Peru and Argentina. Cala Buendía´s bold and nuanced interpretation demonstrates the surprising goals achieved by spontaneous, unconventional cultural initiatives that emerge from both grass-roots and governmental levels. Culture is truly the protagonist of this story where the political agency of visual art, performance, and literature provides effective tactics in the contemporary Latin American public sphere." - Marcy Schwartz, Rutgers University, USA

"This book is a remarkable achievement. At once a cultural history of citizenship and a political analysis of the role of cultural producers, Felipe Cala Buendía crosses disciplines and genres to offer us a unique and very special study of the role of artists, writers, publishers and performers in the making of modern democracy. It is theoretically sophisticated and a great read." - Jeremy Adelman, Princeton University, USA

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Felipe Cala Buendía received his PhD from Princeton University, USA. He is a development practitioner working in global advocacy for children´s rights and citizens´ engagement in policy-making.

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