"By combining ethnographic insight with structural analysis, the book makes an important methodological contribution, one that demands a closer dialogue between the ?elds of critical anthropology and global political economy. ... Coca Yes, Cocaine No is a terri?c success that will prove indispensable for critical-minded students and researchers of contemporary Latin American politics and society." — Manuel Larrabure, American Journal of Sociology
"In this vivid ethnographic account, Grisaffi shows how Bolivian coca growers grew from a criminalized union to a strong social movement with a vernacular vision of 'radical democracy.' ... A fascinating case study [that] shows that the conditions for realization of alternative democracies locally are always linked to broader political economic forces." — Amy Kennemore and Nancy Postero, European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies
"Grisaffi’s book is required reading for anyone interested in contemporary Bolivian politics." — Miguel Centellas, Bulletin of Latin American Research
“In this vivid ethnographic account, Thomas Grisaffi shows how Bolivian coca growers grew from a criminalized union to a strong social movement with a vernacular vision of ‘radical democracy’ based on kinship, consensus decision-making, and leadership accountability. Yet, despite the claims of Bolivia’s plurinational state, this form of social control could not be scaled up to the national level. This fascinating case study shows that the conditions for realization of alternative democracies locally are always linked, on the one hand, to the constraints of liberalism and, on the other, to broader political economic forces.” — Nancy Postero, author of The Indigenous State: Race, Politics, and Performance in Plurinational Bolivia
“The first substantive ethnography of Bolivia’s coca sindicatos, Coca Yes, Cocaine No adds nuance to discussions of Bolivian cocalero politics that go beyond commonly known official narratives and propagandistic claims. Thomas Grisaffi’s masterful flowing prose and his superior ethnographic research make this an outstanding book, one welcome to specialists in political anthropology, Latin America, the Andean region, ethnography, and drug politics.” — Paul Gootenberg, coeditor of The Origins of Cocaine: Colonization and Failed Development in the Amazon Andes