Got back from the APSA Teaching & Learning Conference in Philadelphia last night. In addition to my conference duties, I also got to spend some time catching up w/ my little brother (Andy/Andrés), a lovely dinner w/ Jake & Megan, as well as meeting (in person) my Twitter friend Ari (who teaches political theory at UN-Lincoln). But let me focus here on the teaching conference.
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.
Finally got around to posting a few holiday pictures online. It’s become obvious that I’m less likely to whip out my camera than I was a few years ago. In part, because K8 has a much better one. But then I also forget to look at her pictures (and she forgets to whip it out, too!). Yes, that probably makes us bad parents.
It’s near the end of my first week teaching at Ole Miss. So far, things look to be going rather well. Both my classes have gotten off to a good start. It’s amazing what walking into a classroom does for a teacher, especially if those kids are curious and energetic (a great combo). By the end of the first day, my funk was mostly lifted. By the second day, it was almost completely gone.
I live in Mississippi now. Still trying to wrap my head around that fact.
No pictures yet (I’ll be sure to post a summer photo update once we’re in Oxford). But I wanted to be sure to give a brief mention to one of this summer’s highlights: My brother’s wedding!