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As part of the Interrogating Development Series, the Department of International Development is hosting a seminar on 'Now We Are in Power: The politics of passive revolution in 21st century Bolivia' a book by Angus McNelly.
During the first decade of the century, Evo Morales and other leftists took control of governments across Latin America. In the case of Bolivia, Morales was that country’s first Indigenous president and was elected following five years of popular insurrection after decades of neoliberal governance. Now We Are in Power makes the argument that the so-called Pink Tide should be understood as a passive revolution, a process that has two phases: a period of subaltern struggle from average citizens strong enough to culminate in a political crisis, which is followed by a time of reconciliation and transformation. Angus McNelly examines this movement as it unfolded and evaluates how passive revolution plays out over a prolonged crisis, ultimately demonstrating the inherent contradictions and complications of the process.
About the speaker
Dr Angus McNelly
Angus is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Greenwich. His research agenda looks at the politics of transformative change through, on the one hand, the Left in power in twenty-first-century Latin America and, on the other hand, the political economy of development in Latin America. His first monograph, Now We Are in Power: The Politics of Passive Revolution in Twenty-First Century Bolivia was published by the University of Pittsburgh Press in 2023.
About the discussant
Dr Aiko Ikemura Amaral
Aiko joined King’s College London in 2022. Aiko's research addresses the politicisation and urbanisation of indigeneity in Bolivia; the personal narratives of women who work in street markets; and the everyday dimensions of broader development related issues and transformations in urban contexts of Latin America. Aiko holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Essex and an MSc in Politics from Universidade de São Paulo. She is also a Visiting Fellow at the Latin America and Caribbean Centre at London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Teaching Associate of the Centre of Latin American Studies at the University of Cambridge.
This is an in-person event. The talk will be followed by a drinks reception.
At this event
Lecturer in International Development
Event details
The ExchangeBush House North East Wing
Bush House North East Wing, 30 Aldwych, WC2B 4BG