Author Archives: Winifred Tate

For our last weekend in Bolivia, students could choose their activities. Some hung out with their host families (including attending a host sister’s wedding!). On Saturday, some choose a four hour trail ride on horses on the outskirts of town.   … Continue reading →

Mia was kind enough to walk with me (the slow pace!) on our first hike — here we are looking overjoyed that we have made it! photo by Emily Sapoch A view of the canyon during the hike on Sunday, … Continue reading →

Today was our first day without a guest speaker. We continued discussing fieldwork projects, and started thinking about final projects that students will present next Friday, before our departure!

We discussed international trade agreements and their impact on Bolivian politics, governance and daily life. Jorge Campanini came to visit from CEDIB, a leading Bolivian think tank to discuss extractivism — economies based on extracting monetary value from natural resources … Continue reading →

On Wednesday, we discussed students’ ongoing ethnographic projects, ranging from observing markets, street vendors, and supermarkets, to visiting Vida y Esperanza and helping out with the horses. We then headed over to the departmental headquarters of the governing MAS party, … Continue reading →

Today we began with a discussion of life with host families. Then, we heard from Democracy Center Executive Director Jim Shultz. He told of his personal history of activism, the evolution of the work of the Democracy Center, and his analysis … Continue reading →

Today, we began thinking about doing ethnographic fieldwork. This week, students will be conducting their own observations and interviews in the afternoons, so we discussed ethics and methods. Then we heard from Maria Eugenia Flores Castor, who is a long time … Continue reading →

On day 5, we heard from Dan Moriarty, a lay Maryknoll who has spent more than 20 years in Bolivia. He discussed race and racism in Bolivia, including the escalation of racist attacks during the Morales administration. Unfortunately I didn’t … Continue reading →

Today we heard from Jaime Zambrano, who discussed indigenous identity and buen vivir, ideas of the good life that emerge from distinct indigenous cosmovisions. He also brought his musical group and shared music. After lunch, students took a walking tour of murals … Continue reading →

Today we began with a discussion of the power of protests, as we compared the Water and Gas “Wars,” as the protests of 2000 and 2003 became known. Then, we had an amazing and inspiring discussion of the long history … Continue reading →