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Viewed As an Unjust Government, Each Organization Retained Nearly Complete Ideological and Operational Autonomy

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Viewed As an Unjust Government, Each Organization Retained Nearly Complete Ideological and Operational Autonomy "We Live to Struggle, We Struggle to Triumph": The Revolutoinary Organization of the People in Arms and Radical Nationalism in Guatemala A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Jared S. Bibler August 2014 © 2014 Jared S. Bibler. All Rights Reserved. 2 This dissertation titled "We Live to Struggle, We Struggle to Triumph": The Revolutionary Organization of the People in Arms and Radical Nationalism in Guatemala by JARED S. BIBLER has been approved for the Department of History and the College of Arts and Sciences by Patrick Barr-Melej Associate Professor of History Robert Frank Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 Abstract BIBLER, JARED S., Ph.D., August 2014, History "We Live to Struggle, We Struggle to Triumph": The Revolutionary Organization of the People in Arms and Radical Nationalism in Guatemalatle Director of Dissertation: Patrick Barr-Melej This dissertation is an intellectual and political history of The Revolutionary Organization of the People in Arms (ORPA), a political-military movement that operated in Guatemala from 1971 to 1996 during the country’s civil war. The movement’s creative ideological approach, which included an interpretation of Marxism that emphasized social and cultural issues and the role of human actors, resulted in a peculiar brand of radical nationalism that differed from contemporary revolutionary movements in Guatemala and Latin America more broadly. This is not a broad history of ORPA and its military operations, but focuses on the organization’s ideology and analysis of Guatemala’s problems, including its perspectives on the long-debated “indigenous question” and the role of the country’s indigenous majority in the revolutionary struggle. In an attempt to establish a firm ideological foundation for its members, during the 1970s, the movement’s leadership produced various theoretical documents for internal use that delineated the movement’s ideas, including two, lengthy documents detailing the role of racism and discrimination in the country’s oppressive and exclusionary social, political and economic structures. The leadership argued that since the indigenous majority suffered both racial discrimination and economic exploitation, the revolutionary struggle had to simultaneously address race and ethnic issues, as well as class issues. Heterodox Marxist writers and decolonization theorists such as Frantz Fanon, Albert Memmi and 4 Amilcar Cabral heavily influenced ORPA’s ideas on race, colonialism and even the role of the Guatemalan bourgeoisie and intellectuals in the revolution. The study represents an important case study in Latin American radical thought of an organization’s ability to escape the limited scope of contemporary Marxist-Leninist currents in order to establish a radical, inclusive and creative revolutionary nationalist ideology. Furthermore, the story of contemporary social and revolutionary movements is relevant and timely as Guatemala, and the region more broadly, continues to struggle with many of the same issues that inspired such movements in recent history. 5 Dedication To Maria and Euan 6 Acknowledgments Many people need to be acknowledged for contributing to the completion of this dissertation. My advisor Dr. Patrick Barr-Melej provided valuable suggestions, criticisms and insights throughout the process. The other members of my committee, Drs. Mariana Dantas, Kevin Mattson and Thomas Walker offered great feedback and suggestions not only for this current edition, but turning it into a manuscript. Many other faculty members, colleagues and friends in the discipline have also helped me make sense of the topic, even if that meant simply asking sincere questions about my research and engaging in critical and thoughtful discussions. The History Department and Contemporary History Institute at Ohio University provided funding for a research trip to Guatemala in 2008 and a Student Enhancement Award from OU’s Office of the Vice President for Research funded a trip in 2010. The Baker Peace Fellowship provided a year of funding so I could dedicate my time entirely to the dissertation. The wonderful administrative staffs of the History Department and Contemporary History Institute helped me navigate the process of using the money. The Centro de Investigaciones Regionales de Mesoamérica (CIRMA) in Antigua Guatemala provided wonderful institutional support. The archive staff and director were consistently patient and helpful in my search for documents during three separate research trips. Many Guatemalans both inside and outside of the country have assisted this dissertation. While many wish to remain anonymous, their assistance is greatly appreciated. It ranged from introducing me to former members, providing access to organizational documents, sharing personal stories about experiences in the movement 7 and generally helping me to better understand the movement. The many conversations that occurred both on and off the record about ORPA and recent Guatemala history helped situate the organization’s story in broader historical context. I am indebted to Dr. Raul Molina who introduced me to Rodrigo Asturias back in 2003, a meeting that sparked my initial interest in this topic. Since then Raul has introduced me to many former members and leaders of the movement, and from there my network of contacts expanded over the years. While the list is too long to include here, many provided oral histories and appear in the bibliography. Along with providing important insights about the organization, Zully Schaub de Asturias, María del Rosario Valenzuela Sotomayor and Sandino Asturias gave me access to key organizational documents that they each possessed. Many family members and friends offered support during the process. My in-laws Nafisa and Mohomed Bootwala spent many hours with our son, Euan, and even though they consider it quality time with their grandson, it was greatly appreciated. Cheryl (King) Walter went far beyond her duty as a friend by both watching Euan at times and providing comments on chapters. Most importantly, my wife Maria was patient and supportive throughout the process even allowing our dining room table to disappear under piles of documents and books for quite some time. I am indebted to all those mentioned above and many others that are not. 8 Table of Contents Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 Dedication ........................................................................................................................... 5 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................... 6 List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... 9 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 1: Marxism and Race in Historical Perspective .................................................. 33 Chapter 2: The Birth of a Movement ................................................................................ 72 Chapter 3: A Revolutionary Approach to the Indigenous Question ............................... 124 Chapter 4: Public Discourse ............................................................................................ 161 Chapter 5: Experiences of the People in Arms ............................................................... 221 Epilogue .......................................................................................................................... 262 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 268 9 List of Figures Page Figure 1.1 Map of Guatemala .........................................................................................32 Figure 4.1: Illustration from ORPA, La Guerra Necesaria e Inevitable ......................169 Figure 4.2: Illustration from ORPA, La Guerra Necesaria e Inevitable ......................172 Figure 4.3: Illustration from ORPA, Siembra No. 9 .....................................................178 Figure 4.4: Illustration from ORPA, Siembra (11/1979) .............................................184 Figure 4.5: Illustration from ORPA, Siembra (11/1979) ..............................................184 Figure 4.6: Illustrations from ORPA, La Nueva Agricultura .......................................186 Figure 4.7: The heading of most editions of Erupcion .................................................189 Figure 4.8: Illustration from ORPA, La Guerra Necesaria e Inevitable ......................201 Figure 4.9: Illustrations from ORPA, Por qué tanta Represión ...................................201 Figure 4.10: Illustration from ORPA, La Nueva Agricultura .......................................205 Figure 4.11: Illustration from ORPA, La Nueva Agricultura .......................................206 Figure 4.12: Illustrations from ORPA, Siembra No. 9 .................................................217 Figure 4.13: ORPA, Siembra (11/1979) .......................................................................218 10 Introduction On September 18, 1979, a group of armed men and women descended from the protective cover of the surrounding hills and mountains
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