From Brazil and Mexico to Zimbabwe and the Philippines, land seizures by dispossessed peasants and unemployed workers of diverse political and ideological character have become more widespread. Such tactics are being used to confront the neoliberal state and to force the disastrous plight of rural populations onto the national agenda. This book provides both national and micro-level case studies of the rural movements involved in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It seeks to identify their social composition, strategies, tactics, and ideologies; to assess their relations with other social actors, including political parties, urban social movements, and international aid agencies and other institutions; and to examine more closely their most common tactic, the land occupation, as well as the responses of governments and landowners. At a more fundamental level, it demonstrates the longer-term impact of these movements and their potential for structural change.