The Democracy Development Machine: Neoliberalism, Radical Pessimism, and Authoritarian Populism in Mayan Guatemala

by Nicholas Copeland

Overview

Nicholas Copeland sheds new light on rural politics in Guatemala and across neoliberal and post-conflict settings in The Democracy Development Machine. This historical ethnography examines how governmentalized spaces of democracy and development fell short, enabling and disfiguring an ethnic Mayan resurgence.

In a passionate and politically engaged book, Copeland argues that the transition to democracy in Guatemalan Mayan communities has led to a troubling paradox. He finds that while liberal democracy is celebrated in most of the world as the ideal, it can subvert political desires and channel them into illiberal spaces. As a result, Copeland explores alternative ways of imagining liberal democracy and economic and social amelioration in a traumatized and highly unequal society as it strives to transition from war and authoritarian rule to open elections and free-market democracy.The Democracy Development Machine follows Guatemala's transition, reflects on Mayan involvement in politics during and after the conflict, and provides novel ways to link democratic development with economic and political development.

Thanks to generous funding from Virginia Tech and its participation in TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem), the ebook editions of this book are available as Open Access (OA) volumes from Cornell Open (cornellpress.cornell.edu/cornell-open) and other Open Access repositories.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501736087
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	05/15/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	282
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Nicholas Copeland is Assistant Professor of American Indian Studies at Virginia Tech. He is an H. F. Guggenheim Fellow and co-author of The World of Wal-Mart.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Introduction: A Transition to Misery
1. "They Committed No Crime": Developing Democratic Memories
2. Nos Falta Capacidad: Training Enterprising Selves
3. The Capacity for Democracy: Transforming Democratic Imaginaries
4. Radical Pessimism: Neoliberal Democratic Atmosphere
5. Parties and Projects: Democratizing Sovereign Violence
6. Cruel Populism: Mutilating the People
Conclusion: Reorienting Democracy
Notes
Works Cited
Index

What People are Saying About This

Jennifer Burrell

The Democracy Development Machine is a fantastic book. It’s exactly what political ethnography should be—insightful, analytically rigorous, ethnographically rich, and provocative.

Edward Fischer

Nicholas Copeland has written a powerful critique of grassroots democracy. Copeland captures the complicated ways local allegiances work in practice, shattering romantic notions of community cooperation. This reveals much about Guatemala's troubled politics and enriches our understanding of the multifaceted, often unintended, effects of social action.

Editorial Reviews

"The Democracy Development Machine is a fantastic book. It's exactly what political ethnography should be--insightful, analytically rigorous, ethnographically rich, and provocative."

--Jennifer Burrell, Professor, College of Arts and Sciences, SUNY-Albany, and author of Maya After War

"Nicholas Copeland has written a powerful critique of grassroots democracy. Copeland captures the complicated ways local allegiances work in practice; shattering romantic notions of community cooperation. This reveals much about Guatemala's troubled politics and enriches our understanding of the multifaceted, often unintended, effects of social action."

--Edward Fischer, Vanderbilt University

From the Publisher

"Nicholas Copeland has written a powerful critique of grassroots democracy. Copeland captures the complicated ways local allegiances work in practice; shattering romantic notions of community cooperation. This reveals much about Guatemala's troubled politics and enriches our understanding of the multifaceted, often unintended, effects of social action."

Edward Fischer

"The Democracy Development Machine is a fantastic book. It’s exactly what political ethnography should be—insightful, analytically rigorous, ethnographically rich, and provocative."

Jennifer Burrell