De Vecinos a Ciudadanos: Movimientos comunales y luchas cívicas en la historia contemporánea de Costa Rica. PATRICIA ALVARENGA VENUTOLO: Heredia, Costa Rica: EUNA, 2005.

Abstract

Patricia Alvarenga Venutolo, a historian at the National University in Heredia, Costa Rica, has written an engaging narrative about some of the highlights of communal protest in contemporary Costa Rica.  By communal, she means "socially diverse groups of individuals who organize to protest concrete issues," as distinct from class-based movements (p. 1).  Her main conclusion is that conflicts over the rates and quality of public services can lead to the formation of protest movements that state officials may be reluctant to deal with, but with which they ultimately do negotiate agreements.