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From Subaltern to President: Evo Morales, New Social Movements, and Regional Autonomies in Bolivia

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Date Issued:
2007
Summary:
This dissertation examines the processes of social, cultural, and political change that have taken place in Bolivia since the decade of the 1970s and how they have paved the way for the rise to power of indigenous people and the election of Evo Morales to the Presidency. It also addresses a growing trend toward more radical reforms to State structures after Morales' inauguration, which has created serious institutional chaos and a polarization of civil society. The reforms proposed by the Morales administration and its political party (Movimiento al Socialismo) include a new constitution which aims to re-found Bolivia favoring its Andean ethnic groups, and an indefinite re-election of president Morales. At the same time, his party now in control ofthe muddled Constituent Assembly charged with writing the new constitution, intends to diminish the constitutional mandate of a 2006 referendum, whose results favored autonomias (an administrative and political descentralized State model, similar to Spain's or Peru's) in four provinces, which would allow a more efficient administration of the different geographical, cultural, and productive regions of Bolivia while preserving national unity. This dissertation investigates and recognizes the achievements of Bolivian indigenous movements (not only Andean, but also those from the Eastern lowlands, which in fact were the pioneers in the struggle to regain their rights and identity) and the need to reform a State that should accommodate their rights, values, and traditions along with those of the rest of Bolivians, the mestizos (mixed blood) and the nonindigenous, on the basis of consensus and national solidarity. To reach that goal it defends the necessity to preserve the guidelines of Western participative democracy and freedom in combination with the modalities of indigenous communitarian democracy. This basic concept, if applied, would lead the members of the current Constituent Assembly to write an all-inclusive constitution based on consensus and reciprocal solidarity, while opening the necessary space for national dialogue and development, even in the indigenous communities. This dissertation also proposes the promulgation of autonomias departamentales in accordance with the results of the 2006 referendum. Its thesis underlines that autonomias are the most coherent and viable way to descentralize the administration of the diverse regions of Bolivia in a near future. Autonomies represent a creative system that is capable of untying the asphyxiating knot imposed on the regions (departamentos) by a centrist and vertical State, founded in 1825, which pretended to extend its political and economic control over different historical realities, geographical contexts, and diverse cultural backgrounds whose representatives are today demanding fresh air. Methodologically, the panoramic review and analysis of different texts throughout this dissertation identifies the main causes of the actual social fracture in Bolivia, as well as proposes a set of possible solutions. Each chapter contains the analysis of a primary text, along with the discourse of indigenous leaders, constitutionalists, Bolivian public intellectuals, and my own voice. Among them are Marcial Fabricano, Alejo Veliz, Felix Patzi, Juan Carlos Urenda Diaz, Ana Maria Romero de Campero, Alvaro Garcia Linera and Victor Hugo Cardenas, whose ideological positions, theoretical contributions, and proposals are essential for my construction of a concise analysis and possible solutions to the perplexing challenges facing Bolivia today. This dissertation is based on the recognition that Bolivia is a culturally and geographically heterogeneous country, where coexistence between its diverse ethnic groups and regions -aggravated by profound ideological differences, a proverbial impossibility to govern the country, and the poverty of the majority of its inhabitants- has reached perilous levels of polarization and social unrest. A real change and a real de-colonizing revolution (which inspires president Eve Morales and vicepresident Alvaro Garcia Linera's ideological program) cannot be produced and be real without the implementation of regional autonomies (autonomias departamenta/es) and the strengthening of autonomic indigenous municipalities and territories, already legislated by the actual constitution. NOTE A Spanish version of this dissertation (which includes a Collocutio and three more chapters) follows the present text. Chapters V and VI are focused on the analysis of eastern Bolivia (where a parallel and no less controversial identity, facing the Andean, has emerged: e/ ser crucefzo) and autonomic proposals more in detail. Chapter VII presents the voices of Bolivian public intellectuals (indigenous and non indigenous) who, and for the reasons they explain, are not members of the present Constituent Assembly.
Title: From Subaltern to President: Evo Morales, New Social Movements, and Regional Autonomies in Bolivia.
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Name(s): Barrero, Gabriela Ovando
Horswell, Michael J., Thesis advisor
Duno-Gottberg, Luis, Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Marin, Noemi, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2007
Date Issued: 2007
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 384 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: This dissertation examines the processes of social, cultural, and political change that have taken place in Bolivia since the decade of the 1970s and how they have paved the way for the rise to power of indigenous people and the election of Evo Morales to the Presidency. It also addresses a growing trend toward more radical reforms to State structures after Morales' inauguration, which has created serious institutional chaos and a polarization of civil society. The reforms proposed by the Morales administration and its political party (Movimiento al Socialismo) include a new constitution which aims to re-found Bolivia favoring its Andean ethnic groups, and an indefinite re-election of president Morales. At the same time, his party now in control ofthe muddled Constituent Assembly charged with writing the new constitution, intends to diminish the constitutional mandate of a 2006 referendum, whose results favored autonomias (an administrative and political descentralized State model, similar to Spain's or Peru's) in four provinces, which would allow a more efficient administration of the different geographical, cultural, and productive regions of Bolivia while preserving national unity. This dissertation investigates and recognizes the achievements of Bolivian indigenous movements (not only Andean, but also those from the Eastern lowlands, which in fact were the pioneers in the struggle to regain their rights and identity) and the need to reform a State that should accommodate their rights, values, and traditions along with those of the rest of Bolivians, the mestizos (mixed blood) and the nonindigenous, on the basis of consensus and national solidarity. To reach that goal it defends the necessity to preserve the guidelines of Western participative democracy and freedom in combination with the modalities of indigenous communitarian democracy. This basic concept, if applied, would lead the members of the current Constituent Assembly to write an all-inclusive constitution based on consensus and reciprocal solidarity, while opening the necessary space for national dialogue and development, even in the indigenous communities. This dissertation also proposes the promulgation of autonomias departamentales in accordance with the results of the 2006 referendum. Its thesis underlines that autonomias are the most coherent and viable way to descentralize the administration of the diverse regions of Bolivia in a near future. Autonomies represent a creative system that is capable of untying the asphyxiating knot imposed on the regions (departamentos) by a centrist and vertical State, founded in 1825, which pretended to extend its political and economic control over different historical realities, geographical contexts, and diverse cultural backgrounds whose representatives are today demanding fresh air. Methodologically, the panoramic review and analysis of different texts throughout this dissertation identifies the main causes of the actual social fracture in Bolivia, as well as proposes a set of possible solutions. Each chapter contains the analysis of a primary text, along with the discourse of indigenous leaders, constitutionalists, Bolivian public intellectuals, and my own voice. Among them are Marcial Fabricano, Alejo Veliz, Felix Patzi, Juan Carlos Urenda Diaz, Ana Maria Romero de Campero, Alvaro Garcia Linera and Victor Hugo Cardenas, whose ideological positions, theoretical contributions, and proposals are essential for my construction of a concise analysis and possible solutions to the perplexing challenges facing Bolivia today. This dissertation is based on the recognition that Bolivia is a culturally and geographically heterogeneous country, where coexistence between its diverse ethnic groups and regions -aggravated by profound ideological differences, a proverbial impossibility to govern the country, and the poverty of the majority of its inhabitants- has reached perilous levels of polarization and social unrest. A real change and a real de-colonizing revolution (which inspires president Eve Morales and vicepresident Alvaro Garcia Linera's ideological program) cannot be produced and be real without the implementation of regional autonomies (autonomias departamenta/es) and the strengthening of autonomic indigenous municipalities and territories, already legislated by the actual constitution. NOTE A Spanish version of this dissertation (which includes a Collocutio and three more chapters) follows the present text. Chapters V and VI are focused on the analysis of eastern Bolivia (where a parallel and no less controversial identity, facing the Andean, has emerged: e/ ser crucefzo) and autonomic proposals more in detail. Chapter VII presents the voices of Bolivian public intellectuals (indigenous and non indigenous) who, and for the reasons they explain, are not members of the present Constituent Assembly.
Identifier: FA00000980 (IID)
Degree granted: Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2007.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Subject(s): Morales Ayma, Evo,--1959-
Bolivia--Politics and government--21st century
Indians of South America--Ethnic identity
Politics and culture--Bolivia
Democratization--Bolivia--21st century
Marginality, Social--Bolivia
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000980
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.