Overview
Subcommander Marcos made his debut on the world stage on January 1, 1994, the day the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect. At dawn, from a town-hall balcony he announced that the Zapatista Army of National Liberation had seized several towns in the Mexican state of Chiapas in rebellion against the government; by sunset Marcos was on his way to becoming the most famous guerrilla leader since Che Guevara. Subsequently, through a succession of interviews, communiques, and public spectacles, the Subcommander emerged as a charismatic spokesperson for the indigenous Zapatista uprising and a rallying figure in the international anti-globalization movement. In this, the first English-language biography of Subcommander Marcos, Nick Henck describes the thought, leadership, and personality of this charismatic rebel spokesperson. He traces Marcos's development from his provincial middle-class upbringing, through his academic career and immersion in the clandestine world of armed guerrillas, to his emergence as the iconic Subcommander. Henck reflects on what motivated an urbane university professor to reject a life of comfort in Mexico City in favor of one of hardship as a guerrilla in the mountainous jungles of Chiapas, and he examines how Marcos became a conduit through which impoverished indigenous Mexicans could communicate with the world. Henck fully explores both the rebel leader's renowned media savvy and his equally important flexibility of mind. He shows how Marcos's speeches and extensive writings demonstrate not only the Subcommander's erudition but also his rejection of Marxist dogmatism. Finally, Henck contextualizes Marcos, locating him firmly within the Latin American guerrilla tradition.
Full Product Details
Author: Nick Henck
Publisher: Duke University Press
Imprint: Duke University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 3.20cm
, Length: 23.20cm
Weight: 0.753kg
ISBN: 9780822339953
ISBN 10: 0822339951
Pages: 277
Publication Date: 09 July 2007
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
Nick Henck's meticulous research and careful rendering of the myths and facts behind Subcommander Marcos's life and rise to prominence as a guerrilla leader and media darling is a major accomplishment in biography. This intriguing and insightful portrait of the man and his times will interest anyone seeking a greater understanding of recent Mexican politics. --Roderic Ai Camp, author of Politics in Mexico: The Democratic Consolidation In this encyclopedic biography, Nick Henck draws on almost everything ever published on Subcommander Marcos. The result is an analysis that first highlights Marcos's intellectual and political formation prior to his entering the Lacandon jungle in late 1983, and then illuminates the Subcommander's unique cultural and political flexibility, which ultimately served to let the EZLN be directed by the priorities of the indigenous communities of Chiapas. As Henck points out, this flexibility is what distinguished Marcos from other twentieth-century guerrilla leaders; it was pivotal in permitting the EZLN to play a central role in the democratization of Mexico after seventy years of one-party rule. This is a valuable reference book for all those interested in a detailed account of the rise of Subcommander Marcos and the EZLN in Chiapas. --Lynn Stephen, author of Transborder Lives: Indigenous Oaxacans in Mexico, California, and Oregon This biography of Rafael Sebastian Guillen Vicente, better known as Subcomandante Marcos, is the product of thorough investigation of all kinds of records of the Zapatista movement in south-eastern Mexico, and as such should be welcomed by everyone interested in this rebellion. Author Nick Henck presents us with an almost complete background and history of the charismatic 'man with the mask' and attempts to analyse the reasons for his impact as a revolutionary leader. Henck's painstaking and exhaustive collection of everything that has been published about Marcos provides us with a book that answers almost all the questions one could think of about the history of the Zapatistas and its leader. It is only a pity that Henck never personally interviewed him. The author describes Rafael's youth, his family background, the years at school and at the UNAM (National University) and the UAM (Metropolitan University of Mexico), where he taught philosophy until he went to Chiapas in 1984. Year by year we are shown how the Indian villages were visited, how combatants were recruited, who was in charge of special tasks and what progress was made or what errors were committed. As such, this book is a Fundgrube for social scientists and journalists alike and is highly recommended. -- European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies 84, April 2008 | 113
Nick Henck's meticulous research and careful rendering of the myths and facts behind Subcommander Marcos's life and rise to prominence as a guerrilla leader and media darling is a major accomplishment in biography. This intriguing and insightful portrait of the man and his times will interest anyone seeking a greater understanding of recent Mexican politics. --Roderic Ai Camp, author of Politics in Mexico: The Democratic Consolidation In this encyclopedic biography, Nick Henck draws on almost everything ever published on Subcommander Marcos. The result is an analysis that first highlights Marcos's intellectual and political formation prior to his entering the Lacandon jungle in late 1983, and then illuminates the Subcommander's unique cultural and political flexibility, which ultimately served to let the EZLN be directed by the priorities of the indigenous communities of Chiapas. As Henck points out, this flexibility is what distinguished Marcos from other twentieth-century guerrilla leaders; it was pivotal in permitting the EZLN to play a central role in the democratization of Mexico after seventy years of one-party rule. This is a valuable reference book for all those interested in a detailed account of the rise of Subcommander Marcos and the EZLN in Chiapas. --Lynn Stephen, author of Transborder Lives: Indigenous Oaxacans in Mexico, California, and Oregon This biography of Rafael Sebastian Guillen Vicente, better known as Subcomandante Marcos, is the product of thorough investigation of all kinds of records of the Zapatista movement in south-eastern Mexico, and as such should be welcomed by everyone interested in this rebellion. Author Nick Henck presents us with an almost complete background and history of the charismatic 'man with the mask' and attempts to analyse the reasons for his impact as a revolutionary leader. Henck's painstaking and exhaustive collection of everything that has been published about Marcos provides us with a book that answers almost all the questions one could think of about the history of the Zapatistas and its leader. It is only a pity that Henck never personally interviewed him. The author describes Rafael's youth, his family background, the years at school and at the UNAM (National University) and the UAM (Metropolitan University of Mexico), where he taught philosophy until he went to Chiapas in 1984. Year by year we are shown how the Indian villages were visited, how combatants were recruited, who was in charge of special tasks and what progress was made or what errors were committed. As such, this book is a Fundgrube for social scientists and journalists alike and is highly recommended. -- European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies 84, April 2008 | 113
In this encyclopedic biography, Nick Henck draws on almost everything ever published on Subcommander Marcos. The result is an analysis that first highlights Marcos's intellectual and political formation prior to his entering the Lacandon jungle in late 1983, and then illuminates the Subcommander's unique cultural and political flexibility, which ultimately served to let the EZLN be directed by the priorities of the indigenous communities of Chiapas. As Henck points out, this flexibility is what distinguished Marcos from other twentieth-century guerrilla leaders; it was pivotal in permitting the EZLN to play a central role in the democratization of Mexico after seventy years of one-party rule. This is a valuable reference book for all those interested in a detailed account of the rise of Subcommander Marcos and the EZLN in Chiapas. -Lynn Stephen, author of Transborder Lives: Indigenous Oaxacans in Mexico, California, and Oregon Nick Henck's meticulous research and careful rendering of the myths and facts behind Subcommander Marcos's life and rise to prominence as a guerrilla leader and media darling is a major accomplishment in biography. This intriguing and insightful portrait of the man and his times will interest anyone seeking a greater understanding of recent Mexican politics. -Roderic Ai Camp, author of Politics in Mexico: The Democratic Consolidation [T]his formidable study is one of those rare books that one might deem necessary as well as likely to remain of lasting importance. Engagingly penned, supplied with useful maps, photographs, a frontspiece explaining the acronyms used, as well as a 'cast of main characters,' this book sheds significant light not merely on Marcos but on recent Mexican and Latin American history, and contributes to studies on globalization, social justice, indigenous studies, and the history of Marxism in the region. It is a must read for students of Mexican history and modern Latin American history. -- Mark Anderson, Labour/Le Travail In this first English-language biography of Marcos, Nick Henck makes a noteworthy contribution to the extensive literature on the Zapatistas. His research and firsthand knowledge about the movement position Henck well for the task... Henck's story is easy to follow and well suited for a student audience. -- Glen David Kuecker, HAHR Nick Henck's biography of the enigmatic Subcomandante Marcos is a major undertaking and the first of its kind in English... Subcomandante Marcos, the most charismatic revolutionary since Che Guevara, is in many ways the perfect subject for a biography... [T]his is an exhaustive, well-written biography... -- Stephen E. Lewis, Latin American Perspectives
"""Nick Henck's meticulous research and careful rendering of the myths and facts behind Subcommander Marcos's life and rise to prominence as a guerrilla leader and media darling is a major accomplishment in biography. This intriguing and insightful portrait of the man and his times will interest anyone seeking a greater understanding of recent Mexican politics.""--Roderic Ai Camp, author of Politics in Mexico: The Democratic Consolidation ""In this encyclopedic biography, Nick Henck draws on almost everything ever published on Subcommander Marcos. The result is an analysis that first highlights Marcos's intellectual and political formation prior to his entering the Lacandon jungle in late 1983, and then illuminates the Subcommander's unique cultural and political flexibility, which ultimately served to let the EZLN be directed by the priorities of the indigenous communities of Chiapas. As Henck points out, this flexibility is what distinguished Marcos from other twentieth-century guerrilla leaders; it was pivotal in permitting the EZLN to play a central role in the democratization of Mexico after seventy years of one-party rule. This is a valuable reference book for all those interested in a detailed account of the rise of Subcommander Marcos and the EZLN in Chiapas.""--Lynn Stephen, author of Transborder Lives: Indigenous Oaxacans in Mexico, California, and Oregon ""This biography of Rafael Sebastian Guillen Vicente, better known as Subcomandante Marcos, is the product of thorough investigation of all kinds of records of the Zapatista movement in south-eastern Mexico, and as such should be welcomed by everyone interested in this rebellion. Author Nick Henck presents us with an almost complete background and history of the charismatic 'man with the mask' and attempts to analyse the reasons for his impact as a revolutionary leader. Henck's painstaking and exhaustive collection of everything that has been published about Marcos provides us with a book that answers almost all the questions one could think of about the history of the Zapatistas and its leader. It is only a pity that Henck never personally interviewed him. The author describes Rafael's youth, his family background, the years at school and at the UNAM (National University) and the UAM (Metropolitan University of Mexico), where he taught philosophy until he went to Chiapas in 1984. Year by year we are shown how the Indian villages were visited, how combatants were recruited, who was in charge of special tasks and what progress was made or what errors were committed. As such, this book is a Fundgrube for social scientists and journalists alike and is highly recommended.""-- European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies 84, April 2008 | 113"
Author Information
Nick Henck is Visiting Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at Keio University in Tokyo.
