Defensa Zapatista: Stories for Teaching Resistance

Abstract

This article explores the discursive strategies used in the book Habrá una vez…, by Subcommander Galeano, from the EZLN, which aim to educate subjects in some of the Zapatista principles through the character of Defensa Zapatista. The argument draws from Roger Chartier and Giorgio Agamben in order to show that the book inserts itself in the discursive field of children’s literature. The idea that it aims to teach Zapatista theory through literature is supported by a review of the political and discursive context in which it appeared and by the analysis of how some of the themes are treated through the literary character of Defensa Zapatista. The political discourse is delivered strategically as children’s literature: it explains complex concepts with poetic resources.