This should be an interesting week in Bolivia, w/ a number of anti-government protests gearing up. Perhaps it’s ironic that a government formed through popular mobilizations that destabilized two earlier governments is being similarly assailed for the better part of a year. But the harsh reality is that once “the street” becomes a legitimate mode of political discourse, it can be used in any direction & for any motive. The tragedy of Bolivian politics is that it has become almost completely de-institutionalized.
Miguel,
Couldn't agree more with your last comment re: de-institutionalization of politics down there. I fear that we're heading in this same direction here in Ecuador, although, fortunately, we're still a long way behind Bolivia in this regard (and I hope we stay that way!).
Funny. But when I started work on my dissertation, Bolivia was the "stable" case, while Ecuador was the "basket" case. My dissertation proposal (written in 2001) outlined how Ecuador was so de-institutionalized compared to Bolivia's remarkable "stability" (no coups since 1982, no governments toppled extra-constitutionally, etc). Oh, how things change, eh?
Yeah, just goes to show you that LA is still very volatile place, polltically speaking, even into the 21st century. Many of the countries down here are still searching for (stable) identities, it seems...
Yes, that's precisely why I'm drawn to the study of "national construction"—based on the idea that national identity is a fluid social construct. I'm interested in how democratization itself, by encouraging a reconceptualizatin of "citizenship," perhaps encourages the instability of national identities (both in positive & negative ways).