| ID | 082013 |
| Title Proper | Class/Race Polarisation in Venezuela and the Electoral Success of Hugo Chavez |
| Other Title Information | a break with the past or the song remains the same? |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Cannon, Barry |
| Publication | 2008. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Polls have repeatedly shown a class-based polarisation around Chavez, which some political science analysis on Venezuela has recognised. This paper seeks to show, however, that this class-based division needs to be placed in historical context to be fully understood. Examining Venezuelan history from the colonial to the contemporary era the paper shows, unlike most previous work on Bolivarian Venezuela, that race is an important subtext to this class-based support, and that there is indeed a correlation between class and race within the Venezuelan context. Furthermore, class and race are important positive elements in Chavez's discourse, in contrast to their negative use in opposition anti-Chavismo discourse. The paper briefly reviews the Chavez government's policy in tackling the class/race fissures in Venezuelan society, and concludes by asking whether these policies represent a change in the historical patterns of classism and racism within Venezuelan society or are simply reproducing past patterns |
| `In' analytical Note | Third World Quaterly Vol. 29, No.4; 2008: p731-748 |
| Journal Source | Third World Quaterly Vol. 29, No.4; 2008: p731-748 |
| Key Words | Venezuela ; Civil Society |