In 1992, a Guatemalan peasant named Rigoberta Mench received the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in pressing the civil rights claims of her country’s indigenous peoples. Latin America faces heightened social change in the early 21st century and this is quite evident from Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu who on Wednesday announced that she will run for the presidency of Guatemala in the country’s September elections, a move likely to fuel talk about an Indian resurgence in Latin American politics. Menchu, a Guatemalan Quiche Indian, would be the first woman and the first Indian ever to serve as president in this overwhelmingly Indian country.
Earlier this month Menchu said she was forming an Indian-led political movement with an eye toward a possible presidential bid. But the movement, known as Winaq, does not have time to register itself as a political party before September elections. It could back Menchu’s candidacy under the banner of a smaller registered party like Encounter.
In a peasant society ruled by elders, where girls reaching puberty are kept under close watch, it would be very unusual for a person of her age and gender to play the leadership role she describes. Menchu said she would not consider running for, or in alliance with, the political party formed by former guerrillas who fought in the civil war. Guatemala’s Indian majority were among the main victims of the country’s 1960-1996 civil war, in which over 200,000 people, mainly civilians, died. These atrocities raised her political consciousness, leading her to join efforts by Guatemalan guerrillas to overthrow the government. However, Menchu said she would not consider running for, or in alliance with, the political party formed by former guerrillas who fought in the civil war.
Latin America’s 33 nations have been swept up into the process of globalization. The country has long been split along racial lines, with a largely white elite and an impoverished Indian majority. If elected, she would become the second Nobel laureate serving as president in Central America. Oscar Arias, who won the Nobel Peace Price in 1997, took office as Costa Rica’s president in May.
In exploring dimensions of development and social change in Latin America, this course will take an historical and global perspective to understanding the region. Several classes will be devoted to the concepts of development, poverty, and inequality, and include a review of theories and practices of development. It will be a time of rising social conflict, political mobilization, further economic restructuring, transnational migration, and cultural redefinition, as diverse social forces struggle over the terms of development and the direction of change.
Via: Yahoo
