'All of us are presidents': radical democracy and citizenship in the Chapare Province, Bolivia

[thumbnail of Grisaffi_Presidents_Bolivia_Final.pdf]
Preview
Text - Accepted Version
· Please see our End User Agreement before downloading.
| Preview

Please see our End User Agreement.

It is advisable to refer to the publisher's version if you intend to cite from this work. See Guidance on citing.

Add to AnyAdd to TwitterAdd to FacebookAdd to LinkedinAdd to PinterestAdd to Email

Grisaffi, T. (2013) 'All of us are presidents': radical democracy and citizenship in the Chapare Province, Bolivia. Critique of Anthropology, 33 (1). pp. 47-65. ISSN 1460-3721 doi: 10.1177/0308275X12466681

Abstract/Summary

“All of us are presidents” examines the promise and disappointments of direct democracy that followed Evo Morales’ election as president of Bolivia. Working with the literature on politics, the state, and social movements in Latin America, the author contrasts ideas of normative democracy with radical democracy. The article pursues two ideas. First, in the wake of Morales’ election his core political base in the Chapare region perceived and engaged in politics as if they exercised direct, structural authority over the president’s policies. Second, while Morales initially embraced direct democracy he quickly distanced himself from this practice. As the coca growers observe, Morales abandon their political practices they have ceased to refer to themselves as presidents. Therefore, the author suggest that the model of direct democracy that Morales and his aides have promoted is in fact nothing more than a stark utopian claim designed to ensure the legitimacy of the MAS party.

Altmetric Badge

Item Type Article
URI https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/80496
Identification Number/DOI 10.1177/0308275X12466681
Refereed Yes
Divisions Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Department of Geography and Environmental Science
Publisher Sage
Download/View statistics View download statistics for this item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

University Staff: Request a correction | Centaur Editors: Update this record

Search Google Scholar