From Colectivos to Comunas: the Future of Venezuela's Revolutionary Movements
George Ciccariello-Maher
This presentation will situate the current crisis between the history of popular grassroots organizations (including the much demonized "colectivos") and the future aspiration known as the commune, or the "communal state." This will involve shifting the focus from the relatively small numbers currently protesting in the streets toward those hundreds of thousands working to build new self-sufficient and directly democratic institutions.
George Ciccariello-Maher is assistant professor of political science at Drexel University, having previously taught at UC Berkeley, San Quentin State Prison, and the Venezuelan School of Planning in Caracas. He is the author of We Created Chávez: A People's History of the Venezuelan Revolution, published in 2013 by Duke University Press.
Where are the Barrios? Past, Present, and Future of Popular Protest in Venezuela
Alejandro Velasco
One of the more surprising features of the protests that have rocked Venezuela since February is a notable lack of popular sector participation. Their relative - though by no means complete - absence in the demonstrations is surprising not just against the backdrop of major social and economic problems facing the country, but also against a deep history that has again and found barrio residents taking to the streets, often contentiously, to vent their grievances. Beyond explanations by both supporters and opponents of the government, this presentation locates today's street protests in the context contentious collective action more generally in Venezuela's recent history, less to ask why popular sectors haven't taken to the streets, than why - for now - they appear to have left them.
Alejandro Velasco is Assistant Professor of Latin American Studies at New York University's Gallatin School. Before joining NYU he taught at Hampshire College and at Duke University, from where he holds a PhD in History. His book Barrio Rising: Urban Protest and Popular Politics in Venezuela, is forthcoming from the University of California Press.
Reflections on the protests in Venezuela
Miguel Tinker Salas
One of the glaring ironies of the current conflict in Venezuela is that while protestors seek the ouster of the democratically elected president, they have failed to offer a viable alternative proposal to address the country's serious problems. The rallying cry of "la salida" the departure, embodies a series of unspoken class and social assumptions premised on a return to a Venezuela before Hugo Chávez in 1998. The recent protest in Venezuela not only highlights the role that class plays in society but also the use of fear of "others" to solidify support. This outlook invariably distorts politics, limits rational social discourse and undermines the possibility of any middle ground.
Miguel Tinker Salas, is Professor of Latin American history at Pomona College. He is the author of The Enduring Legacy, Oil, Culture and Society in Venezuela Duke University press, and the forthcomong, Venezuela, What everyone needs to know, Oxford University Press.
