The politics of insurgency : the farm worker movement in the 1960s /

The 1960s was a decade of social reform. A moving force behind the reforms of this period were insurgencies-``organized attempts to bring the interests of previously unorganized and excluded groups into centers of economic and political power.'' Jenkins examines the experience of farm workers during this period. The author provides a detailed and well-documented account of the efforts to organize a union among California farm workers; an effort that culminated in the formation of the Cesar Chavez-led United Farm Workers. The book includes a succinct review of the theory of social movements and insurgencies, and Jenkins employs this theoretical framework to analyze and interpret the case of the farm workers. The end result is a very readable study of a significant social movement, a thoughtful theoretical analysis that contributes to better understanding of the turmoil of the '60s. Useful for upper-division undergraduates and graduate students in sociology, history, and political science.-P.F. Clark, Pennsylvania State University, New Kensington Campus