Populist Multiculturalism: Evo Morales’ Government and Indigenous Movements in Bolivia

• In Event: Post-mobilization Indigenous Politics

Abstract

During the 1990s, Latin American governments combined neoliberal reforms with a series of multicultural policies. What Hale (2002) called neoliberal multiculturalism provided only a limited package of cultural rights, and had the result of dividing indigenous subjects into “recognized” and “recalcitrant,” which, in the end, weakened the indigenous movement. The end of the neoliberal era in many Latin American countries, along with the implementation of new and expanded multicultural rights, poses the question of whether a new multicultural model is in place, and if so, how it affects indigenous politics nowadays.

Through an examination of the implementation of multicultural rights and institutions, and the relationship between the government and indigenous-peasant organizations in Bolivia, this paper explores the emergence of a new multicultural model. The 2009 Constitution incorporated a series of multicultural reforms that sought to re-found Bolivia. These reforms included the long marginalized indigenous populations into the political system, and their governance practices into the state structure. However, while these multicultural policies granted indigenous movements numerous rights, the implementation process has led to a major rift in the indigenous movement. Following a populist logic, the MAS government has sought to co-opt the leadership of the main indigenous-peasant organizations. Although, unlike neoliberal multiculturalism, recognition is more encompassing, both models are similar in that the result is also a dichotomy; in this case, between those who are part of the government, and those that strive for their autonomy. In other words, populist multiculturalism demands active support and punishes autonomy from the government.

Author

• Carla A Alberti, Brown University