A case study of the Palmas Bank project, on the periphery of Fortaleza, Brazil, explores the contradictions inherent in the country’s solidarity economy project. The solidarity economy, rooted in the local practices of the liberation theology movement, can hardly be seen as a human or alternative economy because its proximity to party politics through funding and the institutionalization of the movement has affected not only its long-term social sustainability but also its capacity for a political voice. The study sheds light on the challenges of grassroots organizing under progressive regimes at a moment when the end of the Pink Tide in Latin America has obliged activists seeking more sustainable forms of community organization to learn from the past.
Un estudio de caso del proyecto del Banco Palmas, en la periferia de Fortaleza, Brasil, explora las contradicciones inherentes al proyecto de economía solidaria del país. La economía solidaria, arraigada en las prácticas locales del movimiento de la teología de la liberación, difícilmente puede verse como una economía humana o alternativa porque su proximidad a la política de partidos a través del financiamiento y la institucionalización del movimiento ha afectado no solo su sostenibilidad social a largo plazo sino también su capacidad para una voz política. El estudio arroja luz sobre los desafíos de la organización de base bajo regímenes progresistas en un momento en que el final de la Marea Rosa en América Latina ha obligado a los activistas que buscan formas más sostenibles de organización comunitaria a aprender del pasado.
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