Ethnic rights and the dilemma of extractive development in plurinational Bolivia

Abstract

The Bolivian constitution of 2009 has been classified as one of the most progressive in the world regarding indigenous rights. The indigenous principles of Suma Qamaña/Vivir Bien/Good Living on the harmonious relationship between humans and nature are established in the constitution. Nonetheless, these rights clash with the constitutionally recognised rights of the nation state to extract and commercialise natural resources (mainly hydrocarbons and mining) under the banner of redistributive justice, welfare reforms and the common good, in this study labelled the dilemma of extractive development. The article is based on ethnographic fieldwork and combines a political economy perspective on the extractive dilemma, while similarly examining the tensions between ethnically defined rights in relation to broader human rights in terms of values and norms related to welfare and conditions of living. The ethnic identity is multifaceted in Bolivia. Large segments of the indigenous population prefer to identify in class terms. The class-ethnicity tensions have altered throughout history, according to changing socio-economic, cultural and political settings. A central argument is that, during Evo Morales' presidency, classbased human rights in practice tend to be superior to the ethnically defined rights, as a reflection of the dilemma of extractive development.

Sustainability Transitions in the Municipal Solid Waste Management Systems of Bolivian Cities: Evidence from La Paz and Santa Cruz de la Sierra

“…The increasing awareness over environmental issues has provided some short of traction for MSWM issues recently. The current national government has promoted an indigenous-environmentalist discourse that advocates values such as "Living Well" and respect for "Mother Earth", whose symbolism is publicly recognized [85]. At the same time global environmental issues such as climate change have been increasingly influencing public perceptions and environmental awareness, including those related to solid waste [86].…”

Rip it up and start again?

“…There has also been a lot of valuable work and experience gained from the recent developments in indigenous rights and Buen vivir (even where the claimed contributions from these have been restricted in practice) (e.g. Zamosc, 2017;Lalander, 2017). In the Global North discourses of 'well-being' and 'eudemonia' have similarly begun to proliferate (Hesmondhalgh, 2017;Banks, 2017), often with a revisiting of the works of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum and some of the innovations of Human Development.…”

A Road to Conflict: Stakeholder’s and Social Network Analysis of the Media Portrayals of a Social-Environmental Conflict in Bolivia

“…Second, given its legal status as an Indigenous territory, the project required the Free, Prior and Consultation was undertaken under an exceptionally high pressure (Fontana and Grugel 2016) and the results obtained (i.e., 80% of the TIPNIS communities supported the road construction) have been highly contested, with reports showing that many communities had never been consulted or had been coerced or manipulated (FIDH and APDHB 2013;Lalander 2017). After the consultation, the conflict entered a dormant phase that recently ended following the promulgation of a law annulling the TIPNIS untouchable status in August 2017 (Amazon Watch 2017).…”