David Smilde,Daniel Hellinger,Julia Buxton,Margarita Lopez Maya
Venezuelaâ€™s Bolivarian Democracy, brings together a variety of perspectives on participation and democracy in Venezuela. An interdisciplinary group of contributors focuses on the everyday lives of Venezuelans, examining the forms of participation that have emerged in communal councils, cultural activities, blogs, community media, and several other forums. The essays validate many of the critiques of democracy under ChÃ¡vez, as well as much of the praise. They show that while government corporatism and clientelism are constant threats, the forms of political and cultural participation discussed are creating new discourses, networks, and organizational spacesâ€”for better and for worse. With open yet critical minds, the contributors seek to analyze Venezuelaâ€™s Bolivarian democratic experience through empirical research. In doing so, they reveal a nuanced process, a richer and more complex one than is conveyed in international journalism and scholarship exclusively focused on the words and actions of Hugo ChÃ¡vez.Contributors,Carolina Acosta-Alzuru,Julia Buxton,Luis Duno Gottberg,Sujatha Fernandes,MarÃ­a Pilar GarcÃ­a-Guadilla,Kirk A. Hawkins,Daniel Hellinger,Michael E. Johnson,Luis E. Lander,Margarita LÃ³pez-Maya,Elizabeth Gackstetter Nichols,Coraly Pagan,Guillermo Rosas,Naomi Schiller,David Smilde,Alejandro Velasco
Venezuela's Bolivarian Democracy: Participation, Politics, and Culture under ChÃ¡vez