Why is constitutional change important for Latin America’s resurgent Left? We examine the cases of Chile, Colombia and Bolivia.
*You will be sent a Zoom link for the meeting shortly before the scheduled start time*
Alborada Online (supported by Asamblea Chilena en Londres and Progressive International)
In Latin America today, important constitutional shifts look imminent across the region. The rise of popular protests and new Left movements in Chile, Ecuador, Perú and Colombia, and the recovery of democracy in Bolivia suggest a new wave of emancipatory politics in the region. In Chile, the 2019 uprising led to a constitutional convention that will write a new constitution that will aim to finally end the Pinochet dictatorship’s neoliberal model that largely remains in place today.
In Colombia, protests against tax rises that began in April this year have swiftly expanded into a mass anti-government movement. Colombia’s paramilitarised neoliberal reality is very far away from the country’s progressive 1991 constitution. In Bolivia, the foundational principles of the plurinational state established under Evo Morales’ presidency were attacked under the dictatorship of Jeanine Áñez , leaving many to reflect on how the socialist government of Luis Arce now plans to continue, and deepen Bolivia’s ‘process of change’.
This event will bring together academics to explore the possibilities and limitations of constitutional reform projects in Chile, Bolivia and Colombia and how the leftwing forces in these countries have shaped and been shaped by them. The different strategies of constitutional change are of key importance for Latin America’s Left and the future of democratic socialism in the region.
Location: Zoom (You will receive the meeting link before the event)
We will open the event at 6.30pm and have a Latin American music playlist for half an hour until the event begins at 7pm. See playlist on Spotify below.
Tickets are priced at different rates, while there is also a donation and a free option. If you are able to, please consider buying a ticket or making a donation to help support more events like this.
Date and Time: Wednesday, 15 September, 2021 / 7pm-8.30pm BST
Speakers:
- Héctor Ríos Jara – Discussing Chile
Hector is a PhD research student in social science at University College London, University of London, UK. He is a member of Social Theory and Latin American thought (CLACSO) and the Chilean London Assembly (Asamblea Chilena en Londres).
- Olivia Arigho-Stiles – Discussing Bolivia
Olivia is a PhD candidate at Essex university, UK, working on Indigenous politics in twentieth century Bolivia. She is a contributing editor of Alborada.
- Lina Malagon – Discussing Colombia
Lina is a Research Associate at the Transitional Justice Institute at the University of Ulster, UK.
- Chair: Victor Figueroa Clark
Victor is a contributing editor of Alborada, has a PhD from and has taught history at the London School of Economics and is an expert on the history of the Latin American Left. He is the author of Salvador Allende: Revolutionary Democrat (Pluto Press, 2013)
Event supported by Asamblea Chilena en Londres and Progressive International
