Bolivia Refounding the Nation

by Artaraz, Kepa

• ISBN13: 9780745330891
• ISBN10: 0745330894
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-04-15
• Publisher: PLUTO PRESS

Summary

The election of the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS, movement towards socialism) to power in Bolivia in 2006 marked a historic break from centuries of foreign domination and indigenous marginalisation. Evo Morales, leader of the MAS, became the first indigenous president of Bolivia.*BR**BR*Kepa Artaraz looks at the attempt to 'refound the nation' which the new government has made as its goal. He shows how the mix of Marxism, indigenous liberation politics, anti-imperialism and environmentalism has made Bolivia one of the most interesting and unique political experiments of Latin America's 'red decade'.*BR**BR*As the historic left-turn in Latin America reaches a crossroads, Bolivia: Refounding the Nation guides us through the politics and ideas which have animated this popular movement, drawing out important lessons for progressive politics everywhere.

Author Biography

Kepa Artaraz is a lecturer at the University of Brighton where he teaches global social policy and politics. He is the author of Cuba and Western Intellectuals Since 1959 (2009).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. vii
Acronyms and abbreviations	p. ix
Map of Bolivia	p. xiii
Introduction: Bolivia: refounding the nation	p. 1
The economic birth pains of poor countries	p. 13
Five hundred years of plunder?	p. 14
Economic liberalism reborn	p. 19
A heavy dose of shock therapy and the bitter pill of structural adjustment	p. 21
The deepening of the neoliberal project	p. 24
The Latin American turn to the left	p. 30
Political failures and political revival	p. 32
The frustrated expectations of the transition to democratic rule: the view from below	p. 34
The frustrated expectations of the transition to democratic rule: the view from above	p. 40
MAS: an alternative political movement	p. 43
A revolutionary period: three key moments	p. 49
Towards the 2005 victory	p. 52
Revolution in democracy?	p. 55
Demanding recognition: the marches for territory and dignity	p. 56
A revolution in democracy or a revolutionary form of democracy?	p. 63
Main pillars of the new Bolivian constitution	p. 73
The challenges ahead	p. 75
New politics: in search of a working relationship between the state and civil society	p. 78
The failure of old politics	p. 80
The emergence of alternative political actors	p. 82
Complexity and contradictions in the relationship between the state and civil society	p. 92
Towards a new policy	p. 98
New citizens, welfare and well-being	p. 101
United in diversity	p. 103
Suma qamaña, or an indigenous understanding of 'living well'	p. 109
Welfare, well-being and the role of the state	p. 111
Living well and anti-poverty cash transfers	p. 114
Towards a new definition of the good society	p. 118
New economics: the promise and the limits of post-neoliberal development	p. 120
Towards a new national productive economic model	p. 123
A story of success?	p. 128
The limits of post-neoliberal development	p. 133
Bolivian-US relations: breaking the stranglehold	p. 139
A history of imperialist relations	p. 141
The transition to democracy and the war on drugs	p. 146
Fighting the process of change	p. 148
Unchanging relations and frustrated expectations	p. 151
The end of the Monoroe Doctrine?	p. 154
Bolivia's place in Latin America	p. 158
A Latin American bloc?	p. 159
The emergence of UNASUR	p. 161
A post-neoliberal paradigm	p. 166
ALBA and Bolivia's social policy	p. 169
ALBA: the future of South-South collaboration?	p. 173
The promise and the limits of a revolution in democracy	p. 177
A bottom-up process of change	p. 179
Obstacles on the path of national rebirth	p. 181
A new direction of travel?	p. 183
Conclusion	p. 188
Notes	p. 191
Index	p. 229
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.