Bolivia

Report on the Bolivia section in the LASA 2012 event

Some members have mentioned that there were previous, unsuccessful attempts to form a Bolivia section in LASA.

The roots of the current Section began in conversations among a handful of Bolivianists during LASA 2007 in Montreal.

Subsequently Chris Krueger, in the newfound luxiry of retirement, began exploring LASA guidelines about Sections and making contact with potential members, those who indicated Bolivia as a first or second country preference on their LASA registration forms.

During LASA 2009 (Rio de Janeiro) there were two sessions with 40-50 participants together to set the stage and consult with those present about the prospects of forming a Bolivia Section in LASA. A key issue was the relationship with the Bolivian Studies Association that had been formed about a decade earlier by several LASA members who had opted to form an association based in Bolivia, in order to be both more
Bolivian and free from LASA burueaucracy.

The general consensus at Río was that BSA is well-established, that LASA is a different space, that the two should complement each other as possible and that the Bolivia Section should also build collaborative relations with other Bolivia-based institutions such as PIEB, CIDES, CESU and others The Bolivian Section was approved by LASA by the LASA Secretarita in September 2009 and was formalized with 98 people who had expressed interest.

An interim committee was then formed to govern until elections could be held:
Chris Krueger, Miguel Buitrago, Miguel Centellas, Martín Mendoza-Botelho and Victor Unda. Victor set up a section website that was later abandoned because LASA decided to add Section websites to its own site.

By mid-2010 the Section had 102 registered members.
At LASA 2010 (Toronto) the Section held a Business Meeting and organized one panel: Pensando Bolivia: Desafíos y Propuestas. Of the invited panelists, Boaventura Santos Souza, Pablo Solon, Pablo Stefanoni and Rosario León only Stefanoni was finally able to attend.

In December 2010, LASA held elections for the Section Coordinating Committee. The results were Chris Krueger, chair; Hernán Pruden, secretary-treasurer; Miguel Buitrago, Miguel Centellas, Roberto Pareja,
and Victor Unda counselors.

From January 2011, the focus of Committee activity was on the preparation for LASA 2012, including attempts to gather information and opinions about the state of Bolivian Studies and ideas for
increasing north-south collaboration.

Most of the ideas that had been discussed at and after Rio took a back seat for lack of time and resources and remain on our collective agenda.

BOLIVIA SECTION BUSINESS MEETING
MAY 25 2012

ELECTION RESULTS/TERMS

Chair
Council

Guillermo Delgado (one year)
Isabel Scarborough and Chris
Krueger (two years)

Secretary-
treasurer
Hernán Pruden (one year)
Council Miguel Buitrago and Victor Unda
(one year)

Martin Carrión nominated as substitute

LASA 2012 SECTION ACTIVITIES

After the Business Meeting, a Bolivia Section night out at the Peña Pachamama.
Some 25-30 people were there for dinner and until about 10:30.

Saturday 6:30 pm Yerba Buena Ballroom Salon 6 Workshop: Bolivian Studies In and Beyond Bolivia, By and For Whom 35 people signed the attendance sheet. See additional slides below about things discussed

Sunday 9:30 a.m.- 3 p.m., Club Room Marriott
Special Session: Coyuntura y Modelos de Desarrollo en Bolivia 18 PARTICIPANTS AND A VERY STIMULATING TIME UNTIL 1:30 PM. TAPES FROM THIS SESSION WILL BE TRANSCRIBED BY THE BOLIVIAN STUDIES JOURNAL (CLAS¨PITTSBURGH)

OLD BUSINESS: Section Activities since LASA 2010

Membership
October 2010 36
December 2010Elections resulted in a coordinating committee composed of Chris Krueger (chair), Hernán Pruden (secretary-treasurer) and Victor Unda, Miguel Centellas, Roberto Pareja and Miguel Buitrago (counselors)

March 2011 29
December 2011 139
May 8, 2012
106

Data for 104 current members show that two have addresses in Bolivia, seven reside in other Latin American countries (mostly Argentina), thirteen in Europe (mostly the UK), seven in Canada, one in New Zealand, and one in Japan. Seventy-three members reside in the US, several of whom are Bolivians or
other Latin Americans.

Expenditures Section website on LASA site ($300)

Cash on hand $2551.09 as of May 8 (includes $7 from each member who enrolled in the Bolivia Section ($3 goes to LASA) and $700 in special contributions) Special Contributions $700 deposited with LASA
$490 pledged (to be given during Congress; discretion of those who have pledged)

$170 was given to Hernán during LASA and $100 more submitted directly to LASA. Thanks to everyone who contributed

In process
$1400 reimbursement to Chris Krueger
for airfare and expenses for Oscar Vega

2010-2011 Activities

February 10-March 10 2011. Call for ideas for Section-sponsored sessions at LASA 2012 (2 according to membership numbers.

By April 1, proposals to LASA for a panel on Vivir Bien and a workshop on Estudios Bolivianos). At the same time, two travel grant requests submitted.

Decisions about travel grants were delayed by LASA until late January when we learned that there was no funding for Bolivia Section candidates.

Also by April 1, a proposal was presented to LASA-Mellon and LASA-Ford competitions. Subject: Electronic Dialogue on Bolivia Studies. Decisions delayed until late July. Not funded

Issues pending for LASA 2013:

Select on basis of ideas or full proposals?
What is the right balance between academic quality and "activism?" Should the Section-sponsored panels have some characteristics that distinguish them from other panels with Bolivian content? Should the section make efforts to bring speakers from Bolivia? Should one of the sessions be a workshop format in order to provide substantive face-to-face time?

Anyone who wants to weigh in on these things please do do and send to seccionbolivia@gmail.com

After months LASA finally launched basic websites for all 31 Sections at the one-time cost of $300. The basic design includes a Section statement and buttons to access the Member List. Victor Unda is the Bolivia Section website manager.

To date, we have only basic information (Congreso Internacional; Quienes Somos—Misión y Propósitos; Comite; Enlaces--to AEB and PIEB websites, and Contáctenos.

Our aspiration is to upload and make accessible all the papers on Bolivia presented at LASA for as far back as we can go. We need a plan/volunteers to gather this information. Victor can upload it. We also need to update our understanding of LASA's plans to "publish" papers.

Cancellation by LASA of Section Panel

It is ironic and even perhaps embarrassing that our key panel on Buen Vivir was cancelled because Raúl Prada and Oscar Vega were not registered. While some might take this as irresponsible on the part of panel organizers and the Section chair, our position is that we were doing everything we could to make the panel happen: the Secretariat was informed about our activities, the panel chair and the organizer were registered, we should not "waste" $500 to pay the registration fees until we were sure about available funds. The Chair
also believed that because we had already missed the early registration it was all the same to pay until the time of the Congress. Not so. This issue has been thorougly treated with LASA and is contributing it seems to
a reconsideration of relations with Sections, especially country sections which currently seem to get overlooked in the fact that all the tracks are thematic.

Issues (to raise at Section Chairs Meeting):

Whether to voice Section disagreement over the LASA decision to cancel at the meeting of Section chairs based on the principle that Sections deserve to be notified or consulted by the Secretariat if there is a question about planned Congress activities. This point was already on the agenda and seems to have been accepted as an operating principle for the future. Whether to propose in the name of the Bolivia section that LASA travel awards be made to Sections consonant with the number of Section-sponsored sessions. Perhaps 50-50 between the Section and LASA. Note: costs from Bolivia are among the highest.

(We would have had two travel awards this year and would have two for LASA 2013. It will be difficult to get awards from universities given that dates for LASA 2013 (WDC) and 2014 (Chicago) fall during academic breaks.

There was a good deal of discussion at the Section Chairs meeting about the relative lack of treatment for the country sections. It seems like LASA has shifted extremely towards thematic tracks. However, the EC is aware ot the issue as there were other country sections with similar complaints. If there were a program track that dealt with country sections, our session would probably not have been cancelled. At least we
might have gotten some advance notice. Tracks are already established for 2013 but perhaps by 2014 there might be a remedy. And we are all well-advised about current inflexibility, AND we have some cash on hand, so unlikely to be a problem in the future.

The distribution of scholarships was also discussed one suggestion being the travel award per session notion and another being a minimum of one travel award per Section. We should follow up on this discussion, maybe after consultation with other Sections.

• Whether to propose in the name of the Bolivia Section that speakers in section-sponsored panels/workshops be allowed to pay early registration rates until one month after LASA makes its travel awards

• Not done at the meeting, but will follow-up with Sandy Klinzing

• Preguntas for Section Chairs meeting: How does LASA plan to make available the papers from the Congresses. Is there capacity on the Section websites to store publications on Bolivia? For how many Congresses is this information available?

• Papers since 1986 are available to members through the membership tab (not publications) and these are accessible by author or track. There is no keyword search. Perhaps we could request that the latter be added. And perhaps we could find someone(s) who would be willing to explore these towards compiling a list relevant to Bolivia and key issues.

Overarching question: What do we want the Bolivia Section to be?

According to the LASA Manual on Section Activities:

Sections have wide autonomy in the development of their programs, providing that the minimal requirements described under "Maintenance of Sections" are routinely met. They may announce activities in the Sections Column in the LASA Forum and provide a more detailed description of programs at their
website, which may be linked to the LASA website.

Sections may undertake projects such as publishing newsletters, teaching workshops, conferences, a speaker's bureau, etc. Sections may compile a directory, listing Section members' names, addresses (including electronic), phone numbers, and specializations. Sections may also develop curriculum
materials for sale through the Secretariat. A Section may appoint ad hoc committees to address issues of relevance to the Section. These committees may meet during the year provided they have their own funding.

The dues within each Section are equal for all members, regardless of member status or residency. Sections may raise the dues beyond the $10 level if they choose, but dues must be consistent for all members within the Section.

As a few people commented after the Business meeting and other Section events: "The Bolivian Section exists!"

That is true and it has been a rocky road, but the Section is now positioned with high quality and committed leadership and hopefully will take some important steps during this new period to strengthen relations with Bolivian academics and make headway on the issues of getting important Bolivian works published in English and English works into Spanish as a step in "giving back" and in broadening education about Bolivia.

Volunteers and ideas welcome!

DISCUSSIÓN AND IMPLICATIONS OF ISSUES RAISED ABOVE

Issues pending for LASA 2013:

• Select on basis of ideas or full proposals? The new coordinating committee will make its determination. Proposals for LASA 2013 are due by September 1

• What is the right balance between academic quality and "activism?" Should the Section-sponsored panels have some characteristics that distinguish them from other panels with Bolivian content? Not a full discussion, but some sense that the Section-sponsored panels should be "special"

Should the section make efforts to bring speakers from Bolivia?
Pros and cons. Definitely avoid people who cannot make firm and timely commitments. Do extra fundraising e.g., to ensure enough money to bring 2-3 speakers from Bolivia

Should one of the sessions be a workshop format in order to provide substantive face-to-face time?
Several people commented that this is a valuable and flexible format.

Does silence mean consent? When/what is a quorum? Not really addressed. Hopefully, more members will respond to Section communications in the future Should we use a different means of communications (other than email)? Carlos Iván Zambrana offered to spearhead the creation of a Facebook page.

NEW BUSINESS

Proposals for LASA 2013 (Washington DC, May 29-June 1), Bolivian Studies Association 2013 (Due by September 1; call should go out as soon as possible)

Themes for panels/workshops None discussed at the meeting. Oskar Vega and Rafael Bautista subsequently suggested that the Section promote the themes Vivir Bien, Plurinational State, and Decolonization Half-day session on Bolivia; before or after? Those who attended the Sunday session were very pleased with the discussions that took place, but found the "day after" quite exhausting.

Presence at the 2013 Congress of the Bolivian Studies Association? Someone suggested that the Section should have a panel, but there was no proposal about contents. Most of the members of the current coordinating committee are also members of the AEB and will undoubtedly give some thought to this.
Next year LASA is scheduled for May 29-June 1 in Washington DC and the AEB Congress in late July in Sucre.

Formation of ad hoc committees? Library/bibliography, Research in process (on and in Bolivia), collaboration with Bolivian institutions (AEB, PIEB, CIDES, etc.) Need recognized, but none defined as yet.

LASA Questionnaire Results

Purpose
Generate discussion of "Bolivian Studies In and Outside Bolivia: By and For Whom? prior to the workshop session on the same and as part of thinking about the potential of the Bolivia Section alone and in collaboration with other Bolivianists and institutions.

The Section and CLAS/University of Pittsburgh had sub-mitted a proposal to LASA (Ford and Mellon competitions) to carry out an electronic dialogue over a period of months with Bolivian intellectuals and Bolivianists in US, Canada, and Europe that was not funded.

In face of the lack of funding for a larger process, the questionnaire was a way to begin to get a sense of issues and potential proposals regarding "Bolivian Studies". It also included a few questions about the Bolivia Section in LASA.

Ten members responded to the questionnaire. A roughly 10 percent rate based on current membership, which was in fact a bit lower when the questionnaire was circulated.

What to make of that? Lack of time/interest? Reaction to the content/form? A decent response after all even if disappointing.

What would you like to see the LASA Bolivia Section do over the next three years?
Within LASA; beyond LASA in collaboration with other Bolivianists

Only two people responded to the question about Bolivia Section activities in LASA. My sense is that they represent two ends of a spectrum that runs from traditional/passive to proactive. One said "organize section panels and hold a reception during the Congresses."

The other suggested maximizing online interactions and relations with other Bolivianist spaces: "The more we interact the more the ideas will flow."

No one offered any suggestions about collaboration with other Bolivianists, although some ideas about collaboration appear in responses to other questions. These will be part of the Workshop

Might you/your institution act as a node in a social network of bolivianists by contributing space, computer access and person/time (e.g. 10 hours/month) for purposes such as monitoring, collecting and relaying information about "Bolivian Studies" to a central source (not yet defined) from a specific geographic areas, e.g., Canada-US, Europe, Latin America, Asia?

Most respondents left this question blank, which suggests a "No" answer. One respondent from a Canadian institution said "Yes," which suggests that there might be other possibilities Another said that being a node might be possible when she became a tenured professor. She also suggested that nodes should be at
institutions where there are more than one or two Bolivianists.

If you think you/your institution might be able to do this, please let the coordinating committee know.

Would you agree to raise the Bolivia Section membership fee so that the Section would have more resources to

___8__provide travel grants to special invitees to participate in Section-sponsored sessions at LASA congresses?
___6__organize special sessions on Bolivia on dates before or after LASA congresses? (for example, the mini-conference planned forMay 27)
___6__cover or contribute to other costs in áreas such as bibliography building, network building and electronic dialogues
___4__share costs with persons and institutions involved in collaborative projects; for example small scale contracts ($200/mes) for assistants (in Bolivian institutions) to do tasks (bibliography, information gathering) that would benefit Bolivian Studies overall?

The strong sense of those present was that we shoul NOT raise dues but rely on special contributions from members and seek some funds externally

Would you be willing to make additional donations occasionally to the Section to further enable collaborative relationships in special projects with other bolivianists and organizations? (Actual spending of funds would require the consensus of the Section coordinating committee)

In fact, 19 people(almost 25% of a membership of about 80 at the time) responded to a call for special donations in order to bring Bolivian participants to LASA 2012 for the Section-sponsored panel on "Buen Vivir." Special requests will be made in the future and members are encouraged to increase their donations at the time they register for LASA membership.