Llamas, Weavings, and Organic Chocolate : Multicultural Grassroots Development in the Andes and Amazon of Bolivia

Bolivia, like most developing countries around the world, strove for decades to imitate Western and particularly U.S. methods of development, importing the latest technologies, institutions, crops, and livestock. Finally, beginning in the 1970s, faced with many striking instances of failure in the application of the North American modernization paradigm, diverse sectors of Bolivian civil society turned inward to rediscover their country's own multicultural identities and agrarian wisdom as sources of strength upon which to build their own socioeconomic development. The shift spawned a proliferation of development projects grounded in a new "indigenization" or revitalization of cultural traditions. Llamas, Weavings, and Organic Chocolate: Multicultural Grassroots Development in the Andes and Amazon of Bolivia is the story of Bolivian rural development and cultural change. Part I provides an overview of the history of rural development in Bolivia―the long history of anti-indigenous discrimination, the introduction of aid programs in the Western development paradigm, the rise of grassroots movements challenging this paradigm, and the array of initiatives now contributing to the revitalization of indigenous cultural resources. Part II consists of in-depth narratives of nine projects, giving an inside view of the processes that interweave cultural recuperation and developmental strategies. These stories illustrate the cultural barriers that must be overcome and the setbacks often faced by grassroots federations. The projects range from successful agro-exports such as organic chocolate and quinoa to the groundbreaking work of indigenous artists and artisans. In Part III, author Kevin Healy attempts to identify the numerous factors that helped engender successful outcomes in these projects and discusses the effects of globalization on Bolivian culture and development patterns. This inspirational story of social change led by idealism will be valuable for international policymakers, analysts, and aid officials, as well as native North and South Americans, and non-Native Americans who strongly identify with their struggles.

Bolivia, like most developing countries around the world, strove for decades to imitate Western and particularly U.S. methods of development, importing the latest technologies, institutions, crops, and livestock. Finally, beginning in the 1970s, faced with many striking instances of failure in the application of the North American modernization paradigm, diverse sectors of Bolivian civil society turned inward to rediscover the country's own multicultural identities and agrarian wisdom as sources of strength upon which to build their own socioeconomic development. The shift spawned a proliferation of development projects grounded in a new "indigenization" or revitalization of cultural traditions.

Llamas, Weavings and Organic Chocolate: Multicultural Grassroots Development in the Andes and Amazon of Bolivia is the story of Bolivian rural development and cultural change in three parts. Part I provides an overview of the history of rural development in Bolivia—the long history of anti-indigenous discrimination, the introduction of aid programs in the Western development paradigm, the rise of grassroots movements challenging this paradigm, and the array of initiatives now contributing to the revitalization of indigenous cultural resources. Part II consists of in-depth narratives of nine projects, giving an inside view of the processes that interweave cultural recuperation and developmental strategies. These stories illustrate the cultural barriers that must be overcome and the setbacks often faced by grassroots federations. The projects range from successful agro-exports such as organic chocolate and quinoa to the groundbreaking work of indigenous artists and artisans. In Part III, author Kevin Healy attempts to identify the numerous factors that helped engender successful outcomes in these projects and discusses the effects of globalization on Bolivian culture and development patterns.

This inspirational story of social change led by idealism will be valuable for international policy makers, analysts, and aid officials, as well as native North and South Americans, and non-Native Americans who strongly identify with their struggles.

About the Author:
Kevin Healy, an Adjunct Professor in the Elliott School of International Affairs of George Washington University is the Bolivian Foundation Representative of the Inter-American Foundation.

Booknews

Healy (development sociologist, Inter-American Foundation, Arlington, Virginia) describes how in the 1970s Bolivians abandoned the decades- long struggle to be like the US, and turned inward to rediscover their country's own multicultural identities and agrarian wisdom as sources of strength on which to build their own socioeconomic development. He overviews the history of rural development in the country, profiles nine development projects based on the new paradigm, and identifies factors that contributed to success. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Cover Half title Series page Title page Copyright Contents Preface 1. National Integration within a Neo-Colonial Republic 2. The Biases of Western Aid 3. From Import Substitution to Globalization: A Tale of Two Economic Development Models 4. Indigenous Challenges to the Western Modernization Models 5. Dethroning Monocultures and Revitalizing Diversity 6. Cacao Bean Farmers Make a Chocolate-Covered Development Climb 7. The Quinoa Trail: From South American Salt Flats to Western Health Foods Stores 8. Grassroots Development Trekking with Alpacas, Llamas, and Ayllus 9. Piloting Women’s Popular Education 10. Remaking Urban Public Education with an Andean Cultural Twist Gallery 11.Recuperating a Wealth of Women’s Weavings in the Valleys of Chuquisaca 12. An Artisans’ Journey from the Rural Backlands to the Regional Capital 13. Digging for Indigenous Potato Knowledge in the Mountains of Rayqaypampa 14. The Mouse That Roared: An Amazonian March to the Andes for Land Rights 15. Blazing a Trail of Multicultural Grassroots Development for a New Millennium Notes Bibliography Index "This book tells a story of development in Bolivian through the presentation of a range of grassroots development experiences from across the country. The stories serve as a documentary account of the sea change that is taking place in Bolivia and among large international development agencies."--Page vii, Preface This is the story of Bolivian rural development and cultural change in three parts. The first provides an overview of the history of rural development; the second consists of narratives of nine projects; and the third analyzes successful outcomes of the projects and their effects