Bolivia

Civil Society and Democracy in Times of Political Crisis

By Jami Nelson Nunez and Carew Boulding
October 11, 2016

Last year, the Obama administration announced a new civil society initiative, Stand with Civil Society, calling for support of civil society groups across the world and acknowledging the role they play in pushing for citizen engagement, equity, transparency and accountability.  These positive perspectives of civil society pushing for more democratic governance contrasts with more skeptical views that civil society may actually negatively impact the prospects for d

Julieta Paredes Brings Discussion of Communal Feminism to Pittsburgh

By Madeline Townsend
October 10, 2016

In the spring semester of 2013, the University of Pittsburgh held an interdisciplinary conference entitled “Feminism and the Ruses of Coloniality” at which the Bolivian feminist Julieta Paredes gave a speech entitled “Communal Feminism is Revolutionary Feminism”. This year, Paredes attended the University’s First Symposium of Bolivianists, where she spoke again. Her talk was entitled “Depatriarchalization, a Categorical Proposal of Communal Feminism.”

Superfoods: What’s at Stake for South American Farmers?

By Rachael Greenwalt
October 5, 2016

Each year it seems a new superfood enters the market, the majority of which originate in South America. Among these include kiwicha, pichuberry, sacha inchi, maca, cacao, acai, chia, and arguably the most famous of them all, quinoa. Health-conscious consumers covet these nutrient-dense foods that contain more antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and protein than most foods grown locally in the United States.

Comerciantes Aymaras como una élite emergente en Bolivia

By Alexis Vargas
October 5, 2016

El proceso de cambio en Bolivia ha impulsado una política de desarrollo alternativo y resistente al capitalismo que funciona en el mercado mundial. Sin embargo, la implementación de este modelo económico, a casi diez años de su inicio, está generando un crecimiento significativo de una nueva élite burguesa que proviene de las clases comerciantes populares de este país.

Coca: Misrepresented, Underappreciated

By Susan Wiedel
October 4, 2016

Every day, millions of people in the Andes use coca like people in North America use coffee; they brew the leaves in hot water to make tea; some chew on the leaves to reenergize at work. For centuries, Andean populations have cherished the health and spiritual benefits of coca. In both uses, coca acts as a mild stimulant––like coffee––that can also suppress hunger, thirst, pain, and fatigue, and even relieve symptoms of altitude sickness. 

A Snapshot of the World's Strangest Prison

By Page McDonough
August 26, 2016

In La Paz, Bolivia there is a prison unlike any other. It is home to thieves, tax evaders, drug traffickers, rapists, and murderers alike, as well as their families. It is unique because it is largely unguarded (about 50 guards are employed to stand watch on the outside) and because it is completely community run. San Pedro is the topic of much controversy. Questions such as “Why should criminals be allowed to govern themselves and roam freely,?” as well as “Why should children live with these men?” arise.

Civil Society and Democracy in Times of Political Crisis

By Jami Nelson Nunez and Carew Boulding
June 14, 2016

Last year, the Obama administration announced a new civil society initiative, Stand with Civil Society, calling for support of civil society groups across the world and acknowledging the role they play in pushing for citizen engagement, equity, transparency and accountability.  These positive perspectives of civil society pushing for more democratic governance contrasts with more skeptical views that civil society may actually negatively impact the prospects for developing strong democrac

An Update on the Border Dispute Between Chile and Bolivia

By Marissa Ferrighetto
April 26, 2016

At the end of September, the International Court of Justice, the primary judicial branch of the United Nations, agreed to take the case between Bolivia and Chile about a border dispute, stating it has jurisdiction over the matter. Since Bolivia ceded territory along the coast to Chile as a consequence of the War of the Pacific and lost access to the Pacific Ocean, relations between the two countries have oscillated between periods of normal and nonexistent diplomatic relations.

Love, Money, and Politics in Bolivia

Bolivia’s Evo Morales has three years left in his third presidential term, a term that will be his last due to a failed referendum attempt to change the constitution and allow him to run for a fourth time. In recent weeks, Morales has been rocked by scandals. In what feels like a bad telenovela, Morales has been implicated in an embezzlement and influence peddling scandal with a former lover who claims to have had a child with the president who may or may not be alive.

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