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Hacia una nación urgente: descolonización en Bolivia en la era neoliberal

Mattos Vazualdo, Diego M.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1253499432

Abstract Details

2009, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Spanish and Portuguese.
The main objective of the present dissertation is to analyze and discuss the concept of nation by focusing on the Bolivian social, cultural and political experience since 1985. I propose to analyze and reflect on the idea of nation, or the different ideas of nation, based on specific events marked by violent crisis between society and the state. These events constitute the main material to be analyzed. Among the most important we have the Water War in Cochabamba in 2000, the siege of the city of La Paz by Aymara peasants in the same year, the War against Drugs and the subsequent struggle for survival of coca growers (cocaleros), the confrontation between Army and Police in February 2003, the Gas War in October 2003, and the public humiliation of indigenous peasants in the city of Sucre in May 2008. I propose that it is through concepts such as decolonization, memory, absence, encounter, body, space or human basic needs that a new understanding of the cultural term nation appears to be possible in this neoliberal era. The concept of nation arising from the Bolivian experience implies a community in constant construction, having as a point of departure its colonial condition. Thus, the nation is constructed mainly by the desire and urgency of a possible decolonization. The different social manifestations – mostly violent encounters with the state and through it with the current logic of economic globalization – are ways in which society constantly seeks its path to self-determination. Recent political changes in Bolivian society and the ascent to power of indigenous leaders and movements are re-defining how Bolivians have represented and questioned themselves in these last twenty five years. The most important questions to be answered throughout the dissertation are: is there a Bolivian nation?, what is it?, what constitutes it?, and what makes it? My study aims to analyze a process that, I propose, is significant not only for Bolivia but for the whole of Latin America. As we said, the main corpus of the study is composed by specific social events that took place in Bolivian soil during the neoliberal era. However, in order to illustrate the argument and further support some points, the dissertation also turns to other types of texts, including fictional and testimonial literature (such as Aluvion de fuego by Oscar Cerruto, De la revolucion al Pachacuti by Filemon Escobar), fictional and documentary films (such as Mi socio by Paolo Agazzi, La nacion clandestina by Jorje Sanjines and American Visa by Juan Carlos Valdivia), presidential speeches and press articles.
Fernando Unzueta, PhD (Advisor)
Maureen Ahern, Prof. (Committee Member)
Abril Trigo, Prof. (Committee Member)
268 p.
Latin American History; Latin American Literature
Bolivia; decolonization; nation; bolivian identity; nation building; subalternity; community

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Mattos Vazualdo, D. M. (2009). Hacia una nación urgente: descolonización en Bolivia en la era neoliberal [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1253499432

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Mattos Vazualdo, Diego. Hacia una nación urgente: descolonización en Bolivia en la era neoliberal. 2009. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1253499432.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Mattos Vazualdo, Diego. "Hacia una nación urgente: descolonización en Bolivia en la era neoliberal." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1253499432

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.