Feeding the Revolution

Welcome to Feeding the Revolution, a podcast sharing the stories of agrarian reform. My name is Joel Digger, and thank you very much for joining us today. This is Season 1, Episode 3: Land With and Without Masters. I’m extremely grateful to Anna Cant, author of “Land without Masters: Agrarian Reform and Political Change under Peru's Military Government,” published by University of Texas Press in 2021, for joining me on today’s episode. Her book focuses primarily on the period of 1968 to 1975, when a military coup in Peru led by Juan Alvarado Velasco resulted in a progressive government which enacted an aggressive land re-distribution effort. Dr. Cant had previously published an essay in the Journal of Latin American Studies titled “‘Land for Those Who Work It’: A Visual Analysis of Agrarian Reform Posters in Velasco’s Peru” in 2012, which I also highly recommend. I’ll have links to both her book and article in the show notes. She’s a very engaging writer and speaker, and I really hope you enjoy the interview. So, without further ado, let’s get to it. 

Thanks again to Dr. Cant for joining us today, and thanks very much for listening. In the next episode of Feeding the Revolution, I hope to delve into more aspects of Peru’s agrarian reform, so look forward to that in the coming weeks and months. If you have a question or comment, you can reach me by email at [email protected]. If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe or follow on your podcast platform of choice. I’d greatly appreciate it if you could leave a rating and a comment as well, since that helps other people find us. Dandy Horse Press designed our logo. Until next time, keep on the sunny side. 

To set the scene: Salvador Allende was elected president of Chile in 1970 and accelerated the agrarian reform that was initiated under his predecessors, Jorge Alessandri and Eduardo Frei Montalva, attempting to expropriate the land held by all large estates, known as latifundias. Allende didn’t have control over the other branches of government, so his administration was attempting a nigh-impossible balancing act of accomplishing its policy goals while attempting to appease landowners and the military, all while the US was blockading imports and CIA was fomenting internal chaos. The soon-to-be-Dr. Steenland lived in southern Chile with peasants who were participating in the reform/land occupations, from 1972 through the military coup in 1973. 

Fuente de Informacion Norteamericano

Charlie Horman Missing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Horman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_(1982_film)

Chile in Their Hearts by John Dinges

https://www.ucpress.edu/books/chile-in-their-hearts/paper

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Schneider

Hello, and welcome to Feeding the Revolution, a podcast sharing stories from the history of radical agrarian reform. My name is Joel Digger, and thank you very much for joining us today. It means a lot to me that you’ve taken the time to seek out, download, and begin to listen to this first episode. I want to repay that trust by making every effort to tell compelling, meaningful stories that will hopefully give you some insights into agriculture around the world. 

When I started dreaming about making this podcast a few years ago, I had a very small child and a full time job, so I spent a lot more time turning the idea over and around in my head than I did actually researching. During the time that the concept was germinating and sprouting, I thought that this would be a podcast about the history of agriculture in socialist countries. Surely there were tales aplenty of the rural proletariat joining together to overcome obstacles and inspire us, even today.

If you enjoyed what you’ve heard here today, please subscribe to Feeding the Revolution wherever you get your podcasts. If you feel so inclined, please rate and review the podcast. You can find me on instagram at @feedingtherevolutionpod. If you have a question for me, please email me at [email protected]. Dandy Horse Press designed our logo. Keep on the sunny side, and see you next time. 

Coming soon: Feeding the Revolution, a new podcast examining the history of socialist agriculture around the world. From foundations in Marxist theory through practices such as agrarian reform and collectivization, we’ll take a deep dive into what worked where, what didn’t, and what is to be done (communist term). 

Contact us at [email protected]. 

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