| Title | : | ¡Cochabamba!: Water War in Bolivia |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0896087026 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780896087026 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 160 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2004 |
The triumphant struggle of grassroots activists in Cochabamba, Bolivia, sounded a significant opening salvo in the water wars. In 2001, water warriors there regained control of their water supply and defied all odds by driving out the transnational corporation that had stolen their water in the first place.
¡Cochabamba! is the story of the first great victory against corporate globalization in Latin America. Oscar Olivera, a 45-year-old machinist who helped shape and lead a movement that brought thousands of ordinary people to the streets, powerfully conveys the perspective of a committed participant in a victorious and inspirational rebellion.
The beloved and highly respected Olivera relates the selling of the city’s water supply to Aguas del Tunari—a subsidiary of US-based Bechtel—the subsequent astronomical rise in water prices, and the refusal of poverty-strapped Bolivians to pay them. Olivera brings us to the front lines of a movement, chronicling how the people organized an opposition and the dramatic struggles that eventually defeated the privatizers.
With hard-won political savvy, Olivera reflects on major themes that emerged from the war over water: the fear and isolation that Cochabambinos faced with a spirit of solidarity and mutual aid; the challenges of democratically administering the city’s water supply; and the impact of the water wars on subsequent resistance.
Oscar Olivera is president of the Cochabamba Federation of Factory Workers and 2001 winner of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize. Tom Lewis is Latin America editor for the International Socialist Review and professor of Spanish at the University of Iowa.
¡Cochabamba!: Water War in Bolivia Reviews
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Come for the century-defining social uprising, stay for the radical insights/analysis on neoliberalism, the end and evolution of the labor movement, and organizing strategy. Still digesting this one.
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At points very dense but a really interesting account of people power in action.
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This is one of the best books on neoliberalism that I have ever read. AND it is one of the best books on alternatives to neoliberalism that I have ever read. AND it engaging and easy to read (in the positive sense).
On the face of it, this is the story of how a major urban area in Bolivia fought against the privatization of their water and sewage system (SEMAPA). And won! But the great thing is that not only is the story of the organizing against the privtization rendered in a very engaging manner--largely through interviews with and writings by renowned unionist and urban activist Oscar Olivera--but the second section of the book contains more theoretically oriented analyses of what exactly went down, why the protests were successful and the alternative politics that is being constructed.(by Racquel Gutierez-Aguilar and current Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera. Both of these pieces are excellent and Linera's use of the concept of the "multitude" made famous by Negri and Hardt is done in a very concrete and fascinating manner. Indeed the term of the multitude or "association of associations" combined with a notion of territoriality is what makes this volume ESSENTIAL for current activists and researchers and others because it articulates what comes after the "union-form" of organizing. (Bolivia had a very strong union-workerist tradition that was done in when neoliberalism (in part put in by Columbia economist Jeffrey Sachs) rewrote some law in 1985.
Another crucial contribution of the book is the description of the Coordinadora--the new organizing forum during the actual "water war" and how it operated and the techniques it deployed--shut down of the city,public assemblies etc...
Again, Cochabamba! is one of the best accounts of radical participatory democracy in action, both at the level of protest and the level of alternative political practice.
The book concludes well before Evo. M wins the presidency however,so it does not capture at all the current political scene and turmoil. A pivotal history nevertheless. -
A really good book to give you the down low on Bolivian resistance to Bechtel Corporation coming into the country and taking over all the water in order to price gouge/exploit Bolivians. Yes, that's right. All water--including the rain. There was a massive uprising that beat back the corporation and their hired brute force--the state--and won a victory against globalization.
Some of the chapters are really good, some of them, as I recall, read oddly and I wonder if that's due to the translation. Otherwise, definitely a good book to check out in order to find out more about Bolivian resistance to corporate domination. -
¡Cochabamba! is a quick review of the privatization of Bolivian water, grassroots efforts to oppose that privatization, and the impact on development, civil society, and resource politics within Bolivia. The tone tone is advocacy-based and like reading a relatively superficial news or magazine article. However, it provides a beginning introduction to the tension between neoliberal capitalism's focus on privatization-driven globalization, indigenous politics, and environmental justice and resource access disputes among developing communities.
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In spite of its trite title, Cochabamba! is the most in depth and thoughtful narrative about the Water Wars in 2000 and the Gas Wars in 2003 that I have ever read.
Oscar Olivera provides a description of events that is both factual as well as inspirational, and instead of taking a wounded approach - look what these mean multinationals have done to us - he uses Cochabamba's history as a battle cry for the rest of the world. Even though the book is a little dated, I highly recommend it for anyone looking to understand Cochabamba's and Bolivia's popular resistance movement. -
Although the back-and-forth between various authors made it a bit disjointed, I appreciated the firsthand accounts of how ordinary working Bolivians organized themselves to take on a major corporation. The authors were upfront about the challenges and what the leadership could have done better, and also discussed the aftermath of the war--ie, having to organize a community-controlled water system. My only major complaint is that I wanted more!
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2.5 stars
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I really enjoyed the first essay, then a couple at the end under the Gas War section, but the ones in between were mostly reiterations of how bad neoliberalism is. Definitely a great realization of what massive citizen action can do. I hope the people of Cochabamba can reverse more of the negative effects of global capitalism in their future efforts. -
really inspiring, very readable story about the people of Cochabamba's victory against privatization, and, specifically, against Bechtel
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Down with whitety. People power in the disco hour.
