The start of the new semester caught me more off-guard than I had expected (plus I foolishly took on too many side projects whose deadlines are next weekend), so I’ve not had time to post regularly (as was my intention).
But I didn’t want to neglect the importance of the second presidential inauguration of Evo Morales. One of the things that fascinate me about Evo’s political trajectory is his ability to use symbolic politics so effectively. Previous political figures—including indigenous figures like Felipe Quispe—have done so in the past, of course. But the sheer scope of the spectacle (I use that word in its literal sense, not w/ any implied normative meaning) of the investment ceremony (which was grander, by all accounts) than his January 2006 inauguration are remarkable. In 2006 Evo’s pre-inaugural ceremony at Tiwanaku included blessings from Aymara yatiris (priests). This year, Evo was proclaimed the “spiritual leader” of Bolivia’s indigenous people. I wonder when we’ll see an ethnography or sociocultural study of how indigenous political ceremonies have been recreated in contemporary Bolivia?
Once things settle down after the end of next week, I hope to start doing some preliminary analysis of the candidates for April’s regional & local elections. Those elections will set the tone for the future direction of Bolivia’s state.