Suchergebnisse

The books under review all deal with the same fundamental phenomenon: mobilization against neoliberal policies by South American indigenous groups. These works fall into two groups: those that focus on the Mapuche struggle in Chile, and those that consider anti-neoliberal indigenous mobilization in the region more broadly. Just as literature in the former group fails to draw any linkages between the Mapuche and other South American indigenous struggles, the latter body of literature does not engage with Chile as a case worthy of consideration. This essay delineates the arguments made by scholars from both groups and argues that they must be brought into dialogue with one another in order to develop both a more holistic conceptualization of the Mapuche struggle in Chile and a more complete understanding of indigenous mobilization in the region. Further empirical work is needed on how Mapuche mobilization relates to other indigenous, anti-neoliberal mobilizations in South America. (GIGA)

Reviewed books: Drake, Paul W.; Hershberg Eric (Hrsg.): State and Society in Conflict: Comparative Perspectives on Andean Crises, 2006.
Haughney, Diane: Neoliberal Economics, Democratic Transition, and Mapuche Demands for Rights in Chile, 2006.
Silva, Eduardo: Challenging Neoliberalism in Latin America, 2009.
Yashar, Deborah J.: Contesting Citizenship in Latin America: The Rise of Indigenous Movements and the Postliberal Challenge, 2005.
The books under review all deal with the same fundamental phenomenon: mobilization against neoliberal policies by South American indigenous groups. These works fall into two groups: those that focus on the Mapuche struggle in Chile, and those that consider anti-neoliberal indigenous mobilization in the region more broadly. Just as literature in the former group fails to draw any linkages between the Mapuche and other South American indigenous struggles, the latter body of literature does not engage with Chile as a case worthy of consideration. This essay delineates the arguments made by scholars from both groups and argues that they must be brought into dialogue with one another in order to develop both a more holistic conceptualization of the Mapuche struggle in Chile and a more complete understanding of indigenous mobilization in the region. Further empirical work is needed on how Mapuche mobilization relates to other indigenous, anti-neoliberal mobilizations in South America.

We compiled an original database of syllabi for introductory, graduate courses from top-ranked US departments to assess the extent to which elite international relations and comparative politics scholars engage with Marx. Analysis of those syllabi overwhelmingly demonstrates that even superficial engagement with Marx or the Marxist tradition is exceedingly rare. We argue that the reasons behind this near-total absence are more political than intellectual and include the embrace of the defeatist, neoliberal logic of the "end of history." While mainstream disengagement from Marx is perhaps unsurprising, many "critical" political scientists also ignore and/or misread Marx, often because of his purported Eurocentrism. Though Marx's writings at times evince ethnocentric biases, Marx engaged in extensive efforts to grapple with the specificity of the non-European world. Further, these critics fail to account for how thinkers around the globe have found value in and made theoretical contributions to the universalist Marxist story. We analyze two such cases: the African anticolonial leader Amílcar Cabral and the Peruvian Marxist theorist and activist José Carlos Mariátegui. We argue that this superficial engagement, misreading, and sometimes the outright ignoring of Marx hinders the discipline's ability to address important real-world problems or theoretical debates, let alone make political science matter.

This article examines the "world's worst humanitarian disaster", including the socio-political dynamic, aid and activist efforts, and the effects on the Darfur region of Sudan, and environs. First, the authors provide a cursory look into the background of the conflict, the involvement of the factions involved, i.e. the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA), Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM); African security, the UN and outside actors; and the limping negotiations process in Doha. The article then discusses how the international press after many years of sustained coverage, dropped the ball. Next, the authors discuss aspects re humanitarian aid and activism; U.S. interest and the Obama Administration's involvement; and Sudanese war crimes and the International Criminal Court (ICC). Then the authors conclude the article discussing aspects re both Darfur and Sudan's future. References. M. Diem