Journeys of Fear : Refugee Return and National Transformation in Guatemala

Understanding democracy, human rights, and development in the conflict-ridden societies of the third world is at the heart of Journeys of Fear, a stimulating collection of papers prepared by Canadian and Guatemalan scholars. Edited and with contributions by Liisa North and Alan Simmons, this collection explores the participation of the oppressed and marginalised Guatemalan refugees, most of them indigenous Mayas who fled from the army's razed-earth campaign of the early 1980s, in government negotiations regarding the conditions for return. The essays adopt the refugees' language concerning return -- defining it as a self-organized and participatory collective act that is very different from repatriation, a passive process often organized by others with the objective of reintegration into the status quo. Contributors examine the extent to which the organized returnees and other social organizations with similar objectives have been successful in transforming Guatemalan society, creating greater respect for political, social, and economic rights. They also consider the obstacles to democratization in a country just emerging from a history of oppressive dictatorships and a thirty-six-year-long civil war. Edited and with contributions by Liisa North and Alan Simmons, this collection explores the participation of the oppressed and marginalised Guatemalan refugees, most of them indigenous Mayas who fled from the army's razed-earth campaign of the early 1980s, in government negotiations regarding the conditions for return. The essays adopt the refugees' language concerning return - defining it as a self-organized and participatory collective act that is very different from repatriation, a passive process often organized by others with the objective of reintegration into the status quo. Contributors examine the extent to which the organized returnees and other social organizations with similar objectives have been successful in transforming Guatemalan society, creating greater respect for political, social, and economic rights. They also consider the obstacles to democratization in a country just emerging from a history of oppressive dictatorships and a thirty-six-year-long civil war. Contributors include Stephen Baranyi (IDRC), Catherine Blacklock (Queen's University), Manuel-Angel Castillo (Colegio de Mexico), Alison Crosby (Consejeria en Proyectos), Gonzalo de Villa (Universidad Rafael Landivar), Brian Egan (Independent Consultant), Marco Fonseca (York University), Gisela Geliert (FLACSO-Guatemala), Jim Gronau (Coordinación de ONG y Cooperativas), Barry Levitt (University of North Carolina), George Lovell (Queen's University), Catherine Nolan-Hanlon (Queen-s University), Liisa North, Viviana Patroni (Wilfrid Laurier University), René Potvin (FLACSO-Guatemala), Alan Simmons, and Gabriela Torres (York University). Contents Tables and Maps Preface 1 Fear and Hope: Return and Transformation in Historical Perspective PART ONE: PERSPECTIVES ON THE NATIONAL POLITICAL-ECONOMIC SETTING 2 Reflections on the Problems of Democracy in Guatemala 3 Land and Peace: Two Points of View PART TWO: NEGOTIATING AND MONITORING THE PEACE: NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL DIMENSIONS 4 Paradigms of Negotiation and Democratization in Guatemala 5 Maximizing the Benefits of UN Involvement in the Guatemala Peace Process PART THREE: LAND, LABOUR, AND MIGRATION 6 "Somos de la Tierra": Land and the Guatemalan Refugee Return 7 Migration and the Displaced in Guatemala City in the Context of a Flawed National Transformation 8 Exodus and Return with a Changing Migration System PART FOUR: IDENTITY AND COMMUNITY: GENDER, ETHNICITY, AND PLACE 9 The Unexpected Consequences of Violence: Rethinking Gender Roles and Ethnicity 10 To Whom Shall the Nation Belong? The Gender and Ethnic Dimension of Refugee Return and the Struggle for Peace in Guatemala 11 Democratization and Popular Women's Organizations 12 Guatemalan Refugees and Returnees: Place and Maya Identity PART FIVE: NGO NETWORKS AND GOVERNMENTAL ASSISTANCE 13 Theorizing Accompaniment 14 Canadian Foreign Aid as Support for Human Rights and Democratization in Guatemala 15 Concluding Reflections: Refugee Return, National Transformation, and Neoliberal Restructuring Appendix: Acronyms Bibliography Contributors