The New Politics of Protest: Indigenous Mobilization in Latin America's Neoliberal Era

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A sage professor once said that each book represents the child you could have had. If that is the case, then this book is rapidly becoming a teenager. Its origins are in my doctoral dissertation. The origins of my dissertation can be traced back to my master’s program at York University, where I had the privilege of studying with Professor Liisa North. She personally introduced me to the magical country of Ecuador and inspired me with her passion for and knowledge of all things Latin American. I am indebted to the outstanding professors and graduate students that I had the pleasure of working with during my doctoral studies at the University of New Mexico. Ken Roberts, in particular, went above and beyond as my dissertation supervisor and continues to do so well after my graduation. I also thank the members of my dissertation committee, whose input was crucial in forming the ideas and arguments of the present work: Bill Stanley, Ben Goldfrank, Chris Butler, and René Antonio Mayorga. Raúl Madrid was most helpful in the dissertation-proposal stage. The field-research portion of the project was supported by a PhD Fellowship from UNM’s Latin American and Iberian Institute, a Research Project Grant from the Graduate and Professional Student Association, and a Dylan Balch-Lindsay Memorial Research Award from the Department of Political Science. Preliminary research trips to Ecuador and Bolivia were made possible by much-appreciated Field Research Grants from the LAII. I owe a special thanks to Ken Roberts, Moisés Arce, Tony Lucero, and the three anonymous reviewers of this manuscript for their thoughtful and thought-provoking comments and suggestions. They made all the difference . I thank the team at the University of Arizona Press for guiding me through the exciting world of book publishing. I especially thank my editor Patti Hartmann, who initially approached me with the idea of this book project and who gave me the confidence to pull it off. I am also grateful to Kristen Buckles, who walked me the rest of the way through after Patti retired. xix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my students and colleagues at the University of Toronto at Scarborough for their support with this project. A number of undergraduate students provided research assistance, much of it on a voluntary basis. A special thanks to Manal Abdullahi, Aden Abebe, Colin Cuttress, Reza Hajivandi, Kristin Hunter, Hussain Hussain, and Helena Viola. The book would not have been possible without the help of good people in Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, and Chile who indulged yet another foreigner asking questions about their organizations and activities. Their ability to struggle and succeed against seemingly insurmountable odds is awe-inspiring. In Ecuador, I would like to thank the leaders of the Pachakutik party for allowing me to attend various organizational meetings and conferences. Thanks also to Juan Aulestia, Francisco Rhon, and Napoleón Saltos for shaping my understanding of indigenous politics in the country. In Bolivia, I was fortunate to develop a number of important friendships within the Movimiento Indígena Pachakuti and Movimiento al Socialismo party organizations. Willy Copari was especially crucial in helping me to navigate the complexities of indigenous politics in the country, even calling in a personal favor for me by arranging an interview with MIP party leader and founder Felipe “El Mallku” Quispe, a kindness that I will always treasure. Special thanks to Xavier Albó for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with me and discuss my ideas. My work is better for it. In Peru, I am grateful to the staff of the Coordinadora Permanente de los Pueblos Indígenas de Perú for including me in their events, at which I was able to witness an indigenous movement forming before my very eyes. I would also like to thank a number of Peruvian scholars who helped frame my ideas on the subject of indigenous identity construction, including : Francisco Ballón, Nelson Manrique, Aldo Panfichi, Martín Tanaka, and Jaime Urrutia. In Chile, I benefited greatly from insights on indigenous politics and identity construction provided by a number of exceptional scholars working on the Mapuche struggle, in particular José Aylwin, José Bengoa, and Rolf Foerster. I would also like to thank the leaders of the Council of All Lands in Temuco for allowing me to attend one of their meetings and for patiently answering my questions. The insights of Paolo Marimán of the Mapuche Documentation Center Liwen were also...