•Journal•ISSN: 0924-0608
European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Utrecht University Library Open Access Journals (Publishing Services)
About: European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies is an academic journal published by Utrecht University Library Open Access Journals (Publishing Services). The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Latin Americans & Politics. It has an ISSN identifier of 0924-0608. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 317 publications have been published receiving 3180 citations. The journal is also known as: European review of latin american and caribbean studies & Revista europea de estudios latinoamericanos y del caribe.
Topics: Latin Americans, Politics, Democracy, Context (language use), Population
Papers published on a yearly basis
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TL;DR: The regimes of Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, and Rafael Correa undermine contestation while simultaneously increasing the material inclusion of the poor and the excluded as discussed by the authors, and these regimes that are usually lumped together show distinct patterns in fostering participation.
Abstract: The regimes of Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, and Rafael Correa undermine contestation while simultaneously increasing the material inclusion of the poor and the excluded. These regimes that are usually lumped together show distinct patterns in fostering participation. Whereas in Ecuador participation is reduced to voting in elections, participatory institutions were created in Venezuela and Bolivia. And whereas mobilization in Bolivia comes mostly from the bottom up, in Venezuela and Ecuador it comes from the top-down. To compare their divergent patterns this paper analyses: 1) the strength of subaltern organizations when these leaders were elected; 2) the confrontation between governments and the oppositions; and 3) the views of democratization of the coalitions that brought these regimes to power.
82 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that there are many limiting factors when it comes to putting the emancipatory elements of the constitution into practice, including the increased strength of the executive branch, the intent of the government to co-opt civil society organizations and to exclude dis- sident views, resistance of the conservative opposition to losing some of its privileges, the deep- rooted social inequality, the social conflicts and polarization, the resource dependence of the current economic model, and the authoritarian characteristics of indigenous self-governance structures.
Abstract: In Bolivia, rights to increased political participation and the recognition of indigenous politi- cal systems are interrelated. The new constitution of 2009 defines Bolivia as a representative, participa- tory and communitarian democracy. It incorporates enhanced mechanisms and institutions for participa- tory democracy. Moreover, new social rights have been anchored in the constitution and a plurinational state is supposed to be constructed. The article raises the question of whether the new constitution will change the relations between state and civil society considerably and whether a new democratic model is being established in Bolivia. I argue that there are many limiting factors when it comes to putting the emancipatory elements of the constitution into practice. These include the increased strength of the executive branch, the intent of the government to co-opt civil society organizations and to exclude dis- sident views, the resistance of the conservative opposition to losing some of its privileges, the deep- rooted social inequality, the social conflicts and polarization, the resource dependence of the current economic model, and the authoritarian characteristics of indigenous self-governance structures. The article demonstrates that the new Bolivian constitution cannot create a new society but that the proc- esses around the elaboration of a new basic law have contributed to considerable changes in the social, political and symbolic order. Keywords: Bolivia, constitution, participatory democracy, indigenous peoples, social rights, political pluralism.
81 citations
TL;DR: A counter-movement to neoliberalism has emerged by indigenous peoples and the rural poor, sometimes linked to the transnational peasant movement "Via Campesina" as mentioned in this paper, whose main aim is to construct an alternative agrarian system based on food sovereignty.
Abstract: Since the neoliberal turn in Latin America the rural economy and society has experienced a great transformation. Corporate capital and transnational agro-industries have taken hold of agriculture radically transforming the economic and social relations of production leading to the precarization and feminisation of rural labour as well as the intensification of work. Peasant farmers were further squeezed having to increasingly find off-farm incomes, largely through precarious wage labour activities, so as to make a living thereby furthering the process of proletarianization. The ‘new rurality’ and ‘territorial’ approaches tried to take account of these transformations but they are found wanting. Instead, a political economy view to the agrarian question is found more promising. A counter-movement to neoliberalism has emerged spearheaded by indigenous peoples and the rural poor, sometimes linked to the transnational peasant movement ‘Via Campesina’. Their main aim is to construct an alternative agrarian system based on ‘food sovereignty’ which is promising but also controversial.
67 citations
TL;DR: The emerging field of slum tourism research, which has the potential to connect Latin American and Caribbean studies on tourism and urban inequality, was explored in this paper, where the authors proposed a theoretical analysis of the performance, negotiation and transformation of inequality in a framework of tourism and global mobilities.
Abstract: This Exploration focuses on the emerging field of slum tourism research, which has the potential to connect Latin American and Caribbean studies on tourism and urban inequality. Slum tourism involves transforming poverty, squalor and violence into a tourism product. Drawing on both altruism and voyeurism, this form of tourism is a complex phenomenon that raises various questions concerning power, inequality and subjectivity. This essay seeks to advance the theoretical debate on slum tourism research and to stimulate comparative studies. Introducing brief examples of slum tourism in Mexico and Jamaica, this contribution moves towards an initial theorization of the performance, negotiation and transformation of inequality in a framework of tourism and global mobilities. Resumen: Teorizar el Turismo en las zonas marginadas: Construccion, negociacion y transformacion de la desigualdad Esta Exploracion se centra en el campo emergente del turismo en zonas marginadas, que tiene como potencial conectar a America Latina y el Caribe en los estudios sobre el turismo y la desigualdad urbana. Turismo 'Slum' implica la transformacion de la pobreza, la miseria y la violencia en un producto turistico. Basandose tanto en el altruismo como en el voyerismo, esta forma de turismo es un fenomeno complejo que plantea diversas cuestiones relativas al poder, la desigualdad y la subjetividad. Con este ensayo se pretende avanzar en el debate teorico sobre la investigacion de turismo en zonas marginadas y estimular estudios comparativos. Presentando ejemplos breves de turismo en barrios pobres en la ciudad de Mexico y de Jamaica, esta contribucion se mueve hacia una teorizacion inicial de la construccion, la negociacion y la transformacion de la desigualdad en el marco del turismo y la movilidad global.
61 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors use data gathered from field research in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Guatemala in 2001 to understand why citizens think of democracy in myriad ways, and whether such differences matter.
Abstract: Recent survey research indicates that democracy means different things to different people. For some, democracy is a method of selecting leaders, protecting civil liberties and political rights, and upholding the rule of law. Other citizens have more expansive views of democracy, viewing it as a mechanism for promoting social equality and economic growth, for example. While such studies provide strong evidence that the concept ‘democracy’ is multidimensional, to date scholars have not explained why citizens think of democracy in myriad ways, and whether such differences matter. We aim to address these issues using data gathered from field research in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Guatemala in 2001. Through open-ended questions, we asked diverse groups of respondents what democracy meant to them. Relying upon answers to these questions, we attempt to explain why respondents had such varying views of democracy, and examine the implications these conceptualizations of democracy have for regime stability. Resumen: Que significa la democracia para los ciudadanos y por que es importante Recientes investigaciones basadas en encuestas de opinion publica revelan que la democracia significa diferentes cosas segun de quien se trate. Para algunos, la democracia es un metodo para elegir lideres, proteger las libertades civiles y los derechos politicos, y mantener el estado de derecho. Otros ciudadanos tienen visiones mas amplias de la democracia, y la ven, por ejemplo, como un mecanismo para promover la igualdad social y el crecimiento economico. Aunque estos estudios ofrecen pruebas fuertes de que el concepto ‘democracia’ es multi-dimensional, hasta ahora los investigadores no han explicado por que los ciudadanos piensan de maneras tan variadas, y si estas diferencias importan. En este estudio, nuestra meta es abordar este tema utilizando datos recogidos en el trabajo de campo realizado en Argentina, Brasil, Chile y Guatemala en 2001. A traves de preguntas abiertas, preguntamos a diversos grupos de entrevistados que significa la democracia para ellos. Basandonos en las respuestas obtenidas, intentamos explicar por que los entrevistados tenian visiones tan distintas de la democracia, y examinamos las implicancias de estas diversas conceptualizaciones de la democracia para la estabilidad del regimen democratico.
60 citations