Guerrilla Marketing: Counterinsurgency and Capitalism in Colombia

Guerrilla Marketing explores how the Colombian government used marketing strategies to transform Marxist guerrilla fighters in the FARC into consumer citizens. It combines archival research and fieldwork with insights into the modern surveillance state, peace and conflict studies, and humanitarian interventions, showing how conflict and consumerism intersect in a world where governance is structured by brand ideology.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 10 December 2018
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Guerrilla Marketing is a book that delves into the intricate relationship between marketing and militarism in the context of contemporary warfare. Authored by Alexander L. Fattal, the book offers a comprehensive analysis of the Colombian government's efforts to transform Marxist guerrilla fighters in the FARC into consumer citizens. Through a detailed case study, Fattal demonstrates how the market has become a central terrain in counterinsurgency warfare, shaping not only the strategies employed by the Colombian government but also shaping postconflict futures.

The book takes a global perspective on information warfare, combining archival research, extensive fieldwork, and interviews with key stakeholders, including the Colombian Ministry of Defense, former rebel communities, political exiles in Sweden, and peace negotiators in Havana. Fattal skillfully weaves together insights into the modern surveillance state, peace and conflict studies, and humanitarian interventions with critical engagements with marketing, consumer culture, and late capitalism. The result is a powerful analysis of the intersection of conflict and consumerism in a world where governance is increasingly shaped by brand ideology and wars marketed as humanitarian interventions.

Guerrilla Marketing is not just a scholarly work; it is also filled with rich and unforgettable ethnographic stories that bring the complexities of the conflict to life. The book offers a stunning and troubling analysis of the mediation of global conflict, raising important questions about the role of marketing, consumerism, and power in shaping the outcomes of conflicts. It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complex dynamics of contemporary warfare and the ways in which marketing and consumer culture play a significant role in shaping our world.

Weight: 406g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226590646