Bolivia: Latin American Revolutionary Movements and Conflict Resolution

Study the rise of revolutionary movements in Latin America and witness their regional impact.

Examine the historical processes that contribute to conflict and to the emergence of social and political actors driving conflict resolution strategies.

Experience structural changes taking place in Bolivia and elsewhere in the region.

This program explores the political, social, and economic dynamics shaping Latin America's revolutionary movements emanating from grassroots, regional, and transnational levels. Students examine the reshaping of leftist ideology by select governments; the ways conflicts in the region seem to emerge and be resolved; and the social demands that revolutionary movements champion.

Topics of study include:

The legacy of the Mexican and Cuban revolutions
The influence of Venezuela's Bolivarian revolution in the region
Revolutionary movements in Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil including the Chapare coca-growers, Argentina's piqueteros, and the MST in Brazil.

Students learn from scholars, policy analysts, government officials, union activists, and community leaders. Learning comprises in-class lectures, workshops, site visits, and discussions in the field.

Students together for orientation in La Paz

Lecturers will be drawn from institutions such as:

Intensive Spanish language study and homestays with host families in La Paz and Achocalla immerse students more deeply in Bolivian culture and facilitate cross-cultural communication and field study.

From the program base in the city of La Paz, students undertake multiple field excursions, including trips to Santa Cruz in the eastern plains and El Alto, the largest indigenous city in Latin America. Other fieldtrips alternate each semester. Learn more about the program’s excursions.

Studying in South America's Political Laboratory
Bolivia provides an excellent base from which to explore processes of revolution and change, evident across Latin America. Amidst changes in the world political economy, Bolivia has remained one of the most politically innovative countries in South America in recent decades. The current political and economic strength of Bolivia's cultural and democratic revolution owes a great deal to the actions of revolutionary movements like coca-growers, water activists, indigenous associations, and miners. In 2005, Evo Morales became the first indigenous president to be elected in South America.

A model for political change—evident through its Constituent Assembly and new constitutional arrangements—Bolivia shares with Venezuela and Ecuador a vision of socialist economic development. This vision is also shared by social movements like the Argentine piqueteros and Brazil's Movement of Landless Rural Workers (MST), two case studies examined in the program. In Bolivia these political processes are attempting to establish a democratic system that incorporates the majority of indigenous populations as well as their demands for de-colonization and desire to ‘live well’. Students experience firsthand the hopes, tensions, and contradictions of this unique political process.

The program explores these sociopolitical challenges and conflicts through coursework and discussions with academics, policymakers, social activists, and government officials. Students can expect to interact with rural and urban residents throughout Bolivia; the program will also travel as a group to Jujuy, Argentina. Program excursions provide additional insight into the regional impacts of revolutionary movements and public policy.

Browse this program's Independent Study Projects/Undergraduate Research

Credits: 16

Duration: 15 weeks

Program Base: La Paz

Language Study: Spanish

Prerequisites: Coursework in political science, Latin American studies, or development studies; 3 semesters Spanish Read more...

View Student Evaluations for this program:

About the Evaluations (PDF)

Fall 2010 Evaluations (PDF)
Spring 2011 Evaluations (PDF)

Phone:
888.272.7881 (toll-free in US)
802.258.3212

TTY:
802.258.3388

Fax:
802.258.3296

Mailing Address:
PO Box 676, 1 Kipling Road
Brattleboro, VT 05302 USA

Request More Information

Contact us by email.