Memories and Social Struggles in Contemporary Bolivia

Collective memories serve as powerful platforms structuring activism during periods of intense social struggle and political change, according to research on Bolivia's contemporary conflicts. The study reveals that activists leverage historical narratives—such as the anti-colonial rebellion of Tupac Katari and Bartolina Sisa, the War of the Pacific, and the rise and fall of Potosí—as constitutive and instrumental tools in their movements. These memories exhibit path-dependent continuity, shaping activism during the 'Gas War' (2003), conflicts in El Alto, and the 2010 civic strike in Potosí. The analysis employs three case studies to demonstrate how such narratives are mobilized to make sense of contemporary struggles, offering an innovative framework for understanding memory's role in social movements.

Iamamoto, S. A. S. (2025). Memories and Social Struggles in Contemporary Bolivia (, Ed.). Bloomsbury Academic. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781978747555