How have the recent protest movements and widespread political discontent become prominent in contemporary Chile? This thesis attempts to illustrate how the 1980 constitution, that served to...Show moreHow have the recent protest movements and widespread political discontent become prominent in contemporary Chile? This thesis attempts to illustrate how the 1980 constitution, that served to protect the legacy of the dictatorship with a rigged voting system, has led to shortcomings in citizen participation. Consequently many Chilean citizens have chosen not to participate in the formal political sphere: expectations of a democratic, inclusive state have not been met. However, the student movements demonstrate how some citizens have adopted an alternative channel of participation. Aside from that, the concept of participative democracy, as interpreted in this thesis, will attempt to explain the cause of the current dissent, and hence why contemporary Chilean democracy is undergoing a crisis.Show less
This thesis discusses the militarization process that came along with Plan Colombia in Colombia and the promotion of the nation state. During the era of Pastrana’s government and the Clinton...Show moreThis thesis discusses the militarization process that came along with Plan Colombia in Colombia and the promotion of the nation state. During the era of Pastrana’s government and the Clinton administration in the U.S. Plan Colombia was implemented. This program should create a situation in which the Colombian State could develop itself and get out of the negative spiral of violence and killings, due to the drug industry and the rise of FARC. By intensifying the military actions, their goal was to restore the idea of a nation state. By connecting this idea with a chosen theoretical framework, it will become clear how militarization has helped to transmit ideas about statehood throughout this thesis. This research will be supported by using case studies that represent military actions during Plan Colombia.Show less
This thesis shall address the factors that influenced the development of Nicaragua’s revolutionary movement in order to assess whether the Nicaraguan case fell under the umbrella of the Domino...Show moreThis thesis shall address the factors that influenced the development of Nicaragua’s revolutionary movement in order to assess whether the Nicaraguan case fell under the umbrella of the Domino Theory, or whether it was a legitimate, autonomous national movement that sought national change. In order to best represent this, the National Nicaraguan Literacy Crusade of 1980 shall be employed as a case study, and the reasons behind its implementation and its political use shall be addressed in order to present that, despite foreign influence and the Cold War politics at the time, the revolutionary movement in Nicaragua was the result of an accumulation of national internal factors that resulted from the genuine revolutionary urge within the country.Show less
This thesis takes part in the discussion of citizenship in an age of migration and transnational identification. It argues that traditional conceptions of citizenship, that view legal and national...Show moreThis thesis takes part in the discussion of citizenship in an age of migration and transnational identification. It argues that traditional conceptions of citizenship, that view legal and national membership as singular, are becoming increasingly inadequate to reflect the the reality of our globalised world. Through transnational and migration theory, it is now understood that migrants, or transmigrants, are able to foster multiple identities and connections with the countries to which they travel, whilst maintaining ties with their countries of origin. The case of 1.5 generation Salvadoran deportees, who migrated to the U.S. as young children, provides a significant example of a group whose complex social and national identity did not correspond with their exclusive legal status as Salvadoran citizens. This group came to identify strongly with the U.S., having been socialised their from a young age, only to be later removed on the grounds of their lack of legal affiliation with the country. The contradictions inherent in the rationale behind their removal were later revealed through the groups continued identification with the U.S., and also their social alienation on return to El Salvador. Therefore, as opposed to conventional belief, this group shows that citizenship and national identity are not inextricably intwined, and can often conflict when the former is restricted to the jurisdiction of a single nation-state.Show less
This thesis analyzes transnational blogging network 'Generación Y' by Yoani Sánchez in authoritarian Cuba. The central claim of this thesis will be that by using the concept of the dictator’s...Show moreThis thesis analyzes transnational blogging network 'Generación Y' by Yoani Sánchez in authoritarian Cuba. The central claim of this thesis will be that by using the concept of the dictator’s dilemma, we can illuminate that the blog ‘Generación Y’ poses a dictator’s dilemma for the government, despite the trials to block access. Additionally, the notions of transnational advocacy networks and monitory democracy help us to understand that the blog ‘Generación Y’ poses the government for the dictator’s dilemma, because they provide the world a window on Cuba.Show less
This paper focusses on the construction of the political identity of Venezuela’s middle and upper class based on their critique of the Hugo Chávez regime. Hereby, I argue that liberal democracy and...Show moreThis paper focusses on the construction of the political identity of Venezuela’s middle and upper class based on their critique of the Hugo Chávez regime. Hereby, I argue that liberal democracy and neoliberalism, two systems that promote global integration on the economic and political level, have found support particularly among the middle and upper class. Simultaneously, Venezuela’s previous experiences with neoliberalism in the twentieth century evoked growing animosity against globalization among the lower classes, evoking a change in the political system towards socialism, the election of Hugo Chávez, and the radicalization towards socialism. While the impact of globalization has divided the nation along its class lines, Chávez’s regime has aggravated this polarization of the population on a political level. I claim that the identity of Chávez’s opposition has become politicized based on two major aspects of criticism: First, the political critique rejects the regime’s radicalization, democratic antagonism, and centralization of power. Second, the economic critique denounced Chávez protectionism, the nationalization of the oil industry and unjust management of the state budget that favoured the popular masses.Show less
