Resilience beyond Rebellion addresses a critical question in insurgency studies: Why some rebel groups successfully become political parties, while others die trying.
Only half of rebel groups with political aspirations manage to reinvent themselves as lasting political parties. Sherry Zaks argues that the key to successful rebel-to-party transformations lies in the organizational structures and institutions that rebels build during wartime. These proto-party structures, which involve governance, political messaging, social outreach, and other noncombat tasks, equip rebel groups with the personnel, skills, and routines needed to succeed in the electoral arena.
Zaks draws on insights from organizational sociology to reconceptualize how rebel groups operate. Through examining the Farabundo Martà National Liberation Front in El Salvador and other cases, they demonstrate that rebel groups with established proto-party structures often form the core of post-conflict parties and attract more votes. Innovative in approach and rich in evidence, Resilience beyond Rebellion advances our understanding of rebel group dynamics both during and after conflict by showing that party-building begins not with the last bullet fired but with the very first.
By:
Sherry Zaks
Imprint: Cornell University Press
Country of Publication: United States [Currently unable to ship to USA: see Shipping Info]
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781501783357
ISBN 10: 1501783351
Pages: 300
Publication Date: 15 August 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction: Trading Bullets for Ballots Part 1: Rebel organizations and theiR oRigins 1. An Organizational Theory of Transformation 2. Organizational Origins of the FMLN Part 2: The content, process, and context of change 3. Wartime Organizational Legacies: Building Proto-Party Structures 4. Pathway(s) to Politics: The Transformation Mechanisms 5. ""From a Thousand Eyes to a Thousand Votes"": Transitioning into Politics Part 3: Extending the Tests and Looking Ahead 6. Potent Portables: Organizational Transformation beyond El Salvador Conclusion: Organizations within and beyond Rebellions
Sherry Zaks is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Southern California.
