There is a recurrent blindness among readers and commentators of The Idea of Latin America. Although in the third part of the book I argued that “After”Latin America is the work of Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Andean, of Indigenous intellectuals and political projects and that Latinos and Latinas in the US also contribute to dismantling the “idea… Continue reading On “The Idea of Latin America”
Are Africans in South America and the Caribbean also Latins?
My friend Roger, from Brazilia, sent me this site about the growing presence of Afro-Latin Americans, as the saying goes. There is an interesting map, that I highlight here for your easy access. It will be interesting to have a similar map tracing the European migration to—let’s say to simplify matters—America. Do you have one?… Continue reading Are Africans in South America and the Caribbean also Latins?
Attorney General Alberto Gonzáles and the Hispanic Challenge
When noted Harvard political scientist Samuel Huntington published his controversial article, “The Hispanic Challenge,” in Foreign Policy no one could have thought of Alberto Gonzáles. Huntington’s article was published on February 24, 2004. And President George Bush announced on November 11 of that same year that Gonzáles was his choice to replace John Ashcroft .… Continue reading Attorney General Alberto Gonzáles and the Hispanic Challenge
Rafael Correa: it is “change of epoch”rather than “an epoch of changes”(1)
ALAI, Latin America in Movement 2007-01-19 AmericaLatina, Ecuador ——————————————————————————– In January of 2006 Evo Morales became the president of Bolivia; in November of 2006 Hugo Chávez was elected by a significant majority of votes for a second term in Venezuela; and in January of 2007, one year after Morales, Rafael Correa became the president of… Continue reading Rafael Correa: it is “change of epoch”rather than “an epoch of changes”(1)
We get what we deserve: On the latest Al Gore and George W. Bush.
I learned to think this way in the early 90s when Carlos Saúl Menem was elected president of Argentina. I was in one of Buenos Aires’s well known book-stores, Librería Gandhi, talking with an admired friend, el Negro Tula, going back to the exciting university years in Córdoba, before Juan Carlos Onganía took power (1966-1970)… Continue reading We get what we deserve: On the latest Al Gore and George W. Bush.
Telling Half of the Story
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani objected to the bipartisan study group chaired by James Baker III and Lee Hamilton. He was reported by the international press to have said that the bipartisan U.S. report calling for a new approach to the war offered dangerous recommendations that would undermine his country’s sovereignty and were “an insult to… Continue reading Telling Half of the Story
Bolivian New President is Something Altogether Different
Duke in the News, January 14, 2006. The recent election of Evo Morales as president of Bolivia is unprecedented. It marks the first time in world history that an indigenous candidate (Aymara Indian in this case) was elected president by an overwhelming majority. Related His election has been described as a turn to the left,… Continue reading Bolivian New President is Something Altogether Different
¿Giro a la izquierda o giro descolonial? Evo Morales en Bolivia
Revista del Sur, 164, Marzo-Abril, 2006. En el caso de Evo Morales –pero también en parte en el de Hugo Chávez–la expresión “giro a la izquierda”sólo capta parte de la historia y deja en la penumbra el “giro descolonial”. En segundo lugar, Néstor Kirchner en Argentina y como una sombra de expectativas Tabaré Vázquez en… Continue reading ¿Giro a la izquierda o giro descolonial? Evo Morales en Bolivia
El Pensamiento Descolonial
Oldep.net (Observatorio Latino-Americano de Políticas Educacionales, Brazil; September 14, 2006. Also in Amauta.in.br; September 15, 2006. En la conferencia dictada en la Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar Josepth Stiglitz expuso brevemente su teoría de la información imperfecta y sus implicaciones para el trabajo hacia una sociedad democrática y justa. Afirmaba que, en el proceso, las universidades… Continue reading El Pensamiento Descolonial
Beyond Populism: Decolonizing the Economy
Counterpunch, May 9, 2006. Evo Morales recently read the “Supreme Decree” in which the nationalization of natural gas was announced. The rumor that this was about to happen had already spread in Bolivia. The decree starts by considering that “in historical struggles, the people have conquered and paid with their blood, the right to return… Continue reading Beyond Populism: Decolonizing the Economy