Coronil

THE FERNANDO CORONIL READER

THE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE IS THE MATTER

Fernando Coronil Edited by Julie Skurski, Gary Wilder, Laurent Dubois, Paul Eiss, Edward Murphy, Mariana Coronil, and David Pedersen DUKE THE FERNANDO CORONIL READER THE FERNANDO CORONIL READER

THE STRUG­GLE

FOR LIFE

IS THE ­MATTER

Fernando Coronil

Julie Skurski, Gary Wilder, DUKE UNIVERSITY PRESS Laurent Dubois, Paul Eiss,

Edward Murphy, Mariana Coronil, and David Pedersen, editors

DURHAM AND LONDON

2019 Edition and introductions © 2019 Duke University Press All rights reserved For previously published chapters, see credits on page 467. Printed in the United States of Amer­i­ca on acid-­free paper ∞ Designed by Amy Ruth Buchanan Typeset in Quadraat Pro by Westchester Publishing Services

Library of Congress Cataloging-­in-­Publication Data Names: Coronil, Fernando, [date] author. | Skurski, Julie, [date] editor. | Wilder, Gary, [date] editor. Title: The Fernando Coronil reader : the strug­gle for life is the ­matter / Fernando Coronil ; Julie Skurski, Gary Wilder, Laurent Dubois, Paul Eiss, Edward Murphy, Mariana Coronil, David Pederson, editors. Description: Durham : Duke University Press, 2019. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: lccn 2018044270 (print) lccn 2019000355 (ebook) isbn 9781478004592 (ebook) isbn 9781478003670 (hardcover : alk. paper) isbn 9781478003960 (pbk. : alk. paper) Subjects: lcsh: Ethnohistory—­Latin Amer­i­ca. | Ethnology—­Latin Amer­i­ca. | Latin Amer­i­ca—­Politics and government—1980–­ | Developing countries—­ Politics and government. | Postcolonialism. Classification: lcc gn345.2 (ebook) | lcc gn345.2 .c67 2019 (print) | ddc 305.800098—­dc23 lc rec­ord available at https://­lccn​.­loc​.­gov​/­2018044270

Cover art: Fernando Coronil, La Sabana, Venezuela. Photo by Mariana Coronil. CONTENTS

Introduction: Transcultural Paths and Utopian Imaginings

MARIANA CORONIL, LAURENT DUBOIS, JULIE SKURSKI,

AND GARY WILDER 1

■ Part I. Labyrinths of Critique: The Promise of Anthrohistory

Introduction DAVID PEDERSEN 47

1 Pieces for Anthrohistory: A Puzzle to Be Assembled Together ​53

2 Transculturation and the Politics of Theory: Countering the Center, Cuban Counterpoint ​69

3 Foreword to Close Encounters of Empire ​118

4 Perspectives on Tierney’s Darkness in El Dorado ​123

5 The ­Future in Question: History and Utopia in Latin Amer­i­ca (1989–2010) ​128

■ Part II. Geohistorical States: Latin American Counterpoint

Introduction EDWARD MURPHY 165

6 Dismembering and Remembering the Nation: The Semantics of Po­liti­cal Vio­lence in Venezuela ​171 Coauthored with Julie Skurski

7 Transitions to Transitions: Democracy and Nation in Latin Amer­i­ca ​231

8 Venezuela’s Wounded Bodies: Nation and Imagination during the 2002 Coup ​250

9 Oilpacity: Secrets of History in the Coup against Hugo Chávez 26 2 10 Crude ­Matters: Seizing the Venezuelan Petro-­state in Times of Chávez ​266

■ Part III. Beyond Occidentalism, Beyond Empire

Introduction PAUL EISS 309

11 Occidentalism ​315

12 Beyond Occidentalism: ­Toward Nonimperial Geohistorical Categories 32​ 3

13 Listening to the Subaltern: The Poetics of Neo­co­lo­nial States ​368

14 Smelling Like a Market ​385

15 Latin American Postcolonial Studies and Global Decolonization 399​

16 After Empire: Reflections on Imperialism from the Américas ​425

Credits 4​ 57 Index 459 Introduction: Transcultural Paths and Utopian Imaginings MARIANA CORONIL, LAURENT DUBOIS,

JULIE SKURSKI, AND GARY WILDER

■ Shortly before his untimely death in 2011, Fernando Coronil captured the core ethic of his practice as a thinker: “the strug­gle for life is the ­matter.” The search to find and communicate “historical truth,” he wrote, implied “struggling against the forces that limit life, the source and aim of history, an elusive marvel.” The pursuit of that “marvel” sh­ aped his many interventions, offering a power­ful history of the pres­ent that always insisted on the possibility of new ways of seeing and thinking, and there- fore of new worlds.1 The essays gathered in this collection ­were written between 1991 and 2011. An innovative and coherent body of work, they illuminate the intellec- tual conjuncture in which they wer­ e written while speaking directly to many of our most pressing analytic and po­liti­cal challenges. Through empiri- cally rich and conceptually sophisticated analyses of history, culture, and practice, Coronil examined the forces that sought to delimit and foreclose alternative ­futures. Yet his work also identified openings for alternatives, reminding us of the unwritten and unknown that could always be ahead. He was fascinated by the search for a utopian proj­ect grounded in this world, by how strug­gles for alternative ­futures always take place ­under conditions that can then themselves give rise to as yet unimagined possibilities. In this search and strug­gle he found allies in poetry and novels; Nico- lás Guillén, Jorge Luis Borges, and Alejo Carpentier wer­ e among the touch- stones to whom he returned constantly in his teaching and writing. Braided through his rigorous po­liti­cal and economic analyses are reflections on magic, marvels, myths, illusion, imagination, poetics, voyages, and laby- rinths. It is not incidental that the epigraph to The Magical State, his masterly 1997 book on oil wealth, nationalist ideology, and state power in Venezuela, 2 Introduction raise pressing questions, which displaced categories inherited and frame prises, andunsettlingrealities.the anti- Althoughon firmly situated global, universal versus par versus versus local cultural, material debates: empirical versus theoretical, dis question into called academic constantly commonsense,works.Coronil princi cal on taken- wasasinterestedinhow Coronil thinking was his Left, inlove world withthe inspite fall ofto History.” poetDerek Walcott: the is drawn from “For ­here, at Arbor, inAnn hishome Michigan.byJulie Photo Skurski. Figure I.1. wherever inahammock hewas— write Fernando to preferred Ra complex from situations. andconceptual, always historical crete started e and History night. isaforgotten insomniac world,ing inthe andHistory minded think Coronil’s andwork. life He wasafierce critic, generous reader, and open- new knowledge. His analyses, which typically tacked between the con the knowledge. between new Hisanalyses, tacked which typically lemen t cip This love for the worldThis love the in spite for of deeply history’s depredations informed - of theoreti truth the useworldly demonstrate her than examplesto linary divisions, and the false binaries that have that scholarly limited binaries divisions, false and the linary tal awe aretal always our early beginning, ples, he allowed pres worldly to complexity ­ ­fo r- ­gr er. He delighted unexpectedsur difficulties, inunforeseen anted categories and frameworks, as he wasinproducing fr ­ ee from theoretical dogma andpo dogma theoretical ee from ­tic ­u ­lar we what we know know, critically reflecting , practical politics versus politics po , practical ­ ev ­beca ery poetit isalways morn ery 2 use the fate of poetry is of poetry fate use the ­ent real dilemmas, to real dilemmas, to ­lit i cal o ­cal ­lit

i cal ­cal rthodoxy. imperial ­ imagi - - - - -

­ Introduction 3 - - - ent and bet ­ent er f­f He was an enthusiastic enthusiastic an was He ­ca. ­i and delighted in productive productive in and delighted ­ects he prospect of a di of he prospect g connection between he said what ­lyin ho knew and teacher as a colleague him ent and t ­ent e anathema to him. Throughout, he brought e anathema he brought to him. Throughout, e binaries to from critically which and analyze ­wer ­ Those w Those ­thes e was an under ­ ther situation in Venezuela and Latinand Amer situationVenezuela in ­cal i tral forces shaping our pres tral our forces shaping Coronil gave profound importance profound Coronil gave to the intrinsic relations between ­lit en er world. disagreement. He was a committed teacher and mentor who invariably disagreement. was a committed teacher mentor and He invariably who disciplinary as collaborators; scholars treated and parochialism younger productivism professional t gaged intellectualgaged and internationally commentator onknown the public po is an invitationtions. the This book to Coronil think about with Fernando c came to that see and how he acted, between his politics and his ethics, between the kind Coronil was an en and the person he was. kind of he produced work of imagination, to vitality, and humor his undertakingsboundless and rela nation, poetry and art versus scholarship, scholarship versus advocacy. advocacy. nation, versus poetry scholarship scholarship, and art versus constantly he sought inspirations and sources, on of a multitude Drawing beyondto space find a the world. engage concrete location and formcontent,and individual’s an means ends, and their intellectual insights. proj collective interlocutor cherished who At his home in Caracas, Venezuela. Figure I.2. Figures I.3 and I.4. Portrait of Fernando by the Ec­ua­dor­ian artist Oswaldo Guayasamín, painted as a gift to Fernando’s ­family in thanks for their support during his exile. Self-­portrait by Fernando when he was a teenager.

­Futures Pres­ent

It is telling that the last essay Coronil wrote was entitled “The ­Future in Question,” for it crystallizes many of the approaches and questions that preoccupied him throughout his life. In it he analyzes the complexities of Latin Amer­i­ca while viewing the world from the perspective of the Global South; he reflects deeply on politics without being bound by conventional binaries; he pays equal attention to material conditions and utopian imag- inings. The essay demonstrates how Coronil engaged simul­ ­ta­neously with Marxism, critical theory, and postcolonialism without subscribing to any of their orthodoxies. We see him forcefully challenge Western hegemony while endorsing strug­gles and envisioning ­futures that cross identitarian divisions. It stands as a testament to Coronil’s enduring contemporaneity, a charter for why he needs to be read now. “The ­Future in Question” analyzes the leftward shift among Latin American governments whose beginning Coronil dates from the electoral defeat of Augusto Pinochet in Chile in the 1989 referendum. He frames his

4 Introduction 5

­ - - - ­ e g i ­ist ­ent ­lit ­tal er ­i ­doin f­f ­ects ar nder such ­U - ideologi and e increasingly e increasingly ture for which ­ fu ­cal, ­wer agination that was i ­lit sses and conjunctural e less certaine less than ever tter of bad thinking, po tter bad thinking, of ­cal im ­ce i le range of conventional of le range ­ wer ma ­ ­lit ally ally dependent. ­ic ­ who conditions and requires a lon conditionsand requires m transformative proj m ­ ter m utopianism fueled by belief in fueledm utopianism by belief ent ­ent ­no 3 ­ ter y situated and of global importance. global y situated and of . The result, he shows, was a constant . The result, he shows, situation.theIf Latin American Left no ­call ­ent aginaries and everydayaginaries accommodations ­i m pragmatism plagued by the sense of an pragmatismm of theby sense plagued ­cal i t but eco ­ter aph an society cannot be improved. This double an society This double be improved. cannot ­lit tures even as they ­gr ­cal im ­den ­fu i m imperative tom imperative maximize seek and income . It expressed a real predicament that confronted. It expressed hum ­ ­lit ­ter ­pen ­risy ending pres ending ­de ­poc ­ext ture might look like. Given the both cap failure of Given like. look ture might ,” the Latin American Left, ,” to Coronil, no lonaccording 4 ­fu t. ally ally in o desire.” This “crisis of futurity,” he explains, was marked by marked was he explains, futurity,” of “crisis This desire.” o ­c tureshort- a and t ­en

al assumptions. ti ­fu ­being ­c ­li ti ­li ce of postcapitalist eakness, or hy eakness, ­vi sis with a central with Latin­sis paradox: American leftists y urgent. And it invites usy urgent. to And invites it unthink a For Coronil, this inabilityFor to the alternative envision The hope of bringing about fundamental by about bringing of is oftenThe hope displaced change This is the kind of paradox that CoronilThis is the paradox skillfully kind of identified and engaged ­cal w ture istrapped being endlessly an within underminedof thisby sense i obstructed by the short- very The capacity capital.” of work to imagine a radically di the conditions, any attempts any long- to develop conditions, This means that marketplace. global in the advantage existing comparative “in a perverse fortune,states twist of fate, leftist of be in pursuit may ­fu extending pres lit states critical transnational of Coronil South. the Global capitalism across from rent primary on ground reliance thatexplains their ongoing products and their vulnerability to the international financial has leftsystem them nominally po and existing socialist development models to realize “universal equality” tomodels “universal realize and development socialist and existing well- “general and po challenging is both conceptually The paradox cal conditions. contradictoryin a rooted geopo about what such a such what about po of a crisis marked struggling one was already the that debilitating sense flection.attention It calls close for to pres throughout his work. It is geo his work. throughout It can be only grasped through empirical examination empirical It can grasped be only through and theoretical re ger knew ger “what It entails historical perspective. ger systemic pro relation in explained be to must material, It po shifts. call a knewlonger this simply to was not what desire, a temporal between disjuncture a long- alternativean and ever- inescapable tension between radical po (leftist) po analy arrangements. economic with neoliberal animated to commitment by a renewed fundamentally society change in the ser 6 Introduction hand, the the hand, alliances, anexpansive vision of asanin plurinationality, anddemocracy phasesof inrevolutions. liminal other, Onthe the as potentiality, offeringsense ahopeful thatis of possibilitycharacteristic calcitrant histories.calcitrant From fissure the between leable immutable ground andthe landscapeof imaginaries utopian re vision mal generatesasplit the world between appearsoscillate that to simp andpostcolonial analyses, increasingly to common inpoststructural tion, pro American elites) aboutfavoredLatin by (often liberal pieties refuses Coronil sus ends, andrealism versus utopianism. aboutsumptions reform versus Left versus Right, revolution, means ver orthodoxies, as conventional Marxist andinherited politics oldthe party existing progressive models for of periodsof decline depression.” historical or is typical that despondency and push desired the dispositions pres and incentives stretch the that contradictory ing to Coronil, that leftist movements in Latin Amer Latin leftist in movements that Coronil, ing to dispensable andend of means socialist strug ence asareceding a horizon, historical politics to identify anemergent set of po identify to politics does not himself reproduce po the di senseatruly their that itself, and,moreover, isthreatened that survival material also that indicating r of indigenousgration epistemologies and diasporic and cosmologies into t counts for, and takes seriously. “although that heobserves contrary, Onthe doesnotknow what kind Left of the that observing a single, class- of pluralization po the to points might indeedground arenewedleftistproj emphasizes the importance of asapo difference emphasizes importance the must always He state. bythe transformation bemediated social radical that he a dical po dical B In this spirit, Coronil examines the dynamic field of Latin American American Latin field dynamic the of examines Coronil spirit, In this proposes the Coronil that When ­gr ­fu y s ly progressivist unmask this this ideology. merely Beyond identifying ess through Yet economic development. healso tempta resists the ture isnotture open, it offers openings.” ituating this crisis of futurity within a broader imperial framework, framework, withinabroader imperial crisis this of futurity ituating ­fu ­lit ture enters the public the enters ture stage asanopen of horizon expectation, i cal ­cal ­bas proj ed revolutionary subject; endofassumption andthe ed revolutionary under exis ­ ­ects ­fu . He points to a new commitment to multiclass commitment to a new to . He points ture ture ting global arrangements, Latin Amer global arrangements, Latin ting ­towar f­f ­lit er ­fu i ­lit ­ent cal a ­cal tures have failed so thoroughly, havetures failed accord ­ fu d an uncertain horizon: “On the one one “Onthe horizon: d anuncertain i cal des ­cal , then, he is not only heisnot, then, only isinquestion ture ­fu ctors and imaginaries; the eclipse the of andimaginaries; ctors fu ­ ture ispos ture ture indoubt,ture inducing asense of 6 ­lit pondency that he identifies, heidentifies, ac that pondency ­ect fo ­gle. Itis p i cal lo ­cal ­ thes r Latin Amer r Latin ­lit ­si ­ fu ­ peop e worlds ­fu gics and practices that that andpractices gics i ­ble cal val ­cal ture imposes its pres imposesture its ture to wish to ture for. He is ­ i ca c ­ca recisely , has eroded. Yet, has he le’s faith in futurity le’s infuturity faith ame to questioname to ue and the inte ue andthe ­ther ­ i ­ent f ­beca ca. H ­ca. e emanate e emanate i ­ ­ca orward orward use the use the e thus e thus ’s very ------5 Introduction 7

­ ------in ­ca, the ­ i ­gles, tories, ­ect, ­ being being at would would at ture could turecould he “West.” he “West.” proj heer global heer global ­fu ent his ­ent ­ect th an entities—is ­cal es has, despite i er ­gl f­f 8 ­lit e part a decolo of proj ­ca and t ­ hum ­i ­cal i ­ca ar ­i ­ being and s being ­lit udes non- tin Amer e radical possibilities while refusing while e radical possibilities thes ­ ­gles in La y of the ‘West,’ of its of dominant conceptions they of ‘West,’ ture in Question” to identifyture in Question” on an impasse ­and all now incl ture informing current strug ­pol Fu ­ fu ­ e strug ategories. He does so by paying close attention close to by paying does so He ategories. or all— thes ­ ­cal c i boldly named that which a Left should desire: univer desire: namedshould a Left that boldly which ­lit as become a diverse fabric of collective utopian dreams. The utopian dreams. fabric collective of a diverse as become ­ being f being ­ca h ­i cess that challenges the ethnocentrism of Western modernity the that Western ethnocentrism challenges of cess ­ 7 9 y to posit an epistemological equivalence between and liberalism equivalence epistemological an y to posit - socialand ecologi and freedom, diversity, equality, ­towardjustice, pens up spaces for other imaginariespens up spaces based on di ever contradictory, us new created to that compel may have openings g well.” On theOn po a one hand, us that, reminds he “as well.” g es, “Although the final destination may not be clear, the sense of direc sense the the final destinationclear, be not may “Although es, t Ultimately, Coronil desired a transformativea Coronil desired Ultimately, po Unlike many of his critical contemporaries, and in contrast to much his critical many of contrast to and in contemporaries, much Unlike Coronil’s ability in “The Coronil’s al harmony. The Left has no map, but it compass.” The Lefta but has has no map, al harmony. endenc ever more domains, ever more comprehensively,” and “the pursuit of an of pursuit and “the ever ever more domains, more comprehensively,” — vivir buen el of alternative concept social order guided by the indigenous sibilities, is precisely what distinguished Coronil as a critical thinker. He He Coronil as a critical distinguished what thinker. is precisely sibilities, wri well- freedom, “general justice, diversity, democracy, equality, sal history of winds by along ried that fan strug newflames rouse and old not be knownnot and current academic discourse, Coronil both insisted that Coronil the insisted both discourse, academic current nizing pro nizing Latin Amer dialogue between and past Indeed, he suggests that new utopian “imaginaries Indeed, he suggests now unite and South North in a politics well- that fuses of the pursuit tionis: livin and o On the other hand, he does not and ethics.” aesthetics, epistemologies, on distinction a categorical betweeninsist Latin Amer survival.” c impasse, he seeks to understand seeks he the how leftwardimpasse, turn in Latin Amer po our reconsider in therelation between possibilities contingencies and emergent shifting He identifies with places. specific orthodox Marxist universal economic determinism, class doctrines about is a Marxism “with Coronil’s Like Stuart and historical stages. Hall’s, ism, the thus resists poststructuralist He postcolonial and guarantees.” out t Marxism. how overcome the false betweenovercome opposition universalityparticularity: and “Car the Left,structurally it for remainingwhile conjuncturally account and to emancipatory toattuned emergent with aligned and unapologetically pos pursuit of well- of pursuit now less than less ever the mono now and logics. In effect,and logics. 8 Introduction world, dreams utopian “as long as of desire waged terrain.” anuneven on Yet heconcludesthat byaffirming b ing with“di generated global exchanges andhas aboutity re challengedconstraints, place- by his ship, andsociallyresponsible medicine. shared professions their of aswell secularism, nonpartisan ethics astheir fer From connected. markedly dif was sociallyrespectedandinternationally members became ofelite, anemerging hisparents professional elite that tr ela’s medical systemsand welfare social during social periods of dramatic both of whom was and his life his work. relationshipsin November 1944, informed He in Caracas was born ­famil lived, argued,anddreamed. learned, they inwhichindividual’s conditions andcultural relay material isto the story his story, would andvice versa. have Ashecertainly reminded any us,tell to Venezuela Amer andLatin t What (Cold the War) Enter Labyrinth Hemispheric Itinerary: without of waking fear up.” imaginings maybeco- taken place,has it ispos turn within which leftward this about prospect: this “Ofcourse, of givenpower unequal structures the flected on their efforts to create what they saw as a modern nation, and nation, whatsaw asamodern they to create their efforts on flected as ay perspectiveerary. Hissingular wasrootedinhisexperiences, beginning t in universals and universalsognize in particulars.” particulars This would hrough hisownpo hen bet uild aworld of worlds, made many where ansformation. Whileneitherwasamember ofestablished the ansformation. economic ­ent b In m byhisextended understood himselfCoronil ashaving beenformed y and its rich network of friends andcolleagues. of friends rich years network the herey andits Over ever the topic, Coronil’s the ­ever wasalways thinking profoundly refracted o mot ­ ung student activist engaged swirling withthe world of in politics an ackgrounds, apioneering became exampleof a they he basis of a new “planetary universality.” “planetary he basis of anew isnot Coronil naïve y re her, Lya Ímber Barú, with whom he was very close.her, ARus with whomhewasvery Lya Ímber Barú, ­peop f­f spect ­ er wer ­ ­sh ­ent c le find themselvesle find the withouthome in and dignified asafe aped by the social vision and achievements of his parents, of visionaped social and achievements his parents, by the e physicians who took anactive role in building Venezu s, Coronil’s andglobal orientations critical ­lit osmologies,” hesuggests, it makes pos i cal p ­cal ­op will co ­ ted or crushed. . . . or ted i ­ ca mo ­ca 10 res ntinue to proliferate, energizing proliferate, strug to ntinue ­ bound, p ­ent andhise re broadly. To introduce hiswork tell is to arochial conceptions of universal - peop ­ xtraordinary hemispheric itin xtraordinary ​Po ­ ima le can dream their dreamtheir le can litics litics gined worlds.” Engag- ­will rem ­si ­ble t ­si wer ­ co ­ ­ble “ ain a hat its new new hat its uple who e ­sh fu ­ to rec to gles to ­gles to ­ba thes ­ tures tures aped ­si ttle ttle an e e - ­ - - - - Introduction 9 - - - en’s en’s refu childr ­ ­pean he mentorhe ­ ro ther, Fernando Fernando ther, ­ fa her, Ana Barú;her, and . Uncertain what of under t ­under y fled pogroms in 1920 in 1920 y fled pogroms . ­cas mot ­ ­ i ­ble ­si ­ famil pposition had begun to coalesce. hadpposition begun to coalesce. fficult ten years in Romania where years in fficult ten e from medical school in Venezuela. in Venezuela. e from medical school ­at ­cal o i ­lit ture husband, Fernando’s Fernando’s turehusband, ­ after a di ­ fu gined tropical abundance, freedom from- repres gined tropical abundance, man to gradu y arrived, po y arrived, ima ­ ­ wo her, Lya Ímber, in Caracas. Photo by Julie Skurski. Photo in Caracas. by Julie Ímber, Lya her, ­mot ­ famil ther, Nahum Ímber, an agronomist; her an agronomist; Ímber, Nahum ther, ter, Sofía)ter, in 1930, ­fa e that she met her thate she ­sis mitic repression was on the rise. Part of a wave of Eu of Part on was the wave a rise. of repression mitic ­ther ted her clinical work and pedagogic activity. She treated activity. and pedagogic ted work her clinical y (her ­Se continent’s most repressive dictators, Juan Vicente Gómez (1908–35). dictators, Vicente Juan repressive most continent’s Though Lya was sixteen and spoke no Spanish when they arrived, she they when she arrived, no Spanish was sixteen and spoke Lya Though rien he It was residencyher did Coronil.pediatrics in Lya Rubén quickly enrolled in the Central University’s school of medicine, and in 1936 and in 1936 medicine, of school in the Central enrolled University’s quickly becamethe first she ship of professors, trained in France, whose holistic concept of childhood childhood of concept holistic trained whose in France, professors, of ship o At a time of rising oil income and urbanization, income oil At a time new rising of initiatives to establish health and educational institutions became pos But when Lya’s Lya’s when But Jewish immigrant from Ukraine, Odessa, whose ­famil younger anti- a new to life they establish in the Amergees, sought was then an agrar Venezuela and an egalitariansion, possibility. of sense ian country ruled with limited educational one by of medical and systems, t With his With Figure I.5. to seek refuge in Romania (then Moldova), she arrived in Venezuela with her in Venezuela arrived she (then Moldova), in Romania to refuge seek they offer, might it 10 Introduction specialized insurgery. the sell sustain to ­la well as his older in poems, discuss world Venezuela’s history, name or rivers. ofhewaswidely hisgeneration, read;other doctors he could readily recite politics.physicians Like while keeping of himself fray party outside the classes.social elegant heinspired An of man, andcharming generations the to attention promoted developing HospitalVargas the asateachingandresearchthat institution Rubén wasaproponent of public work healthcare, andhislife centered on he often performed surgery for for surgery performed he often close to his grandparents andcousins bothsides, on close hisgrandparents to Fernando wases with herpublic of role critic Venezuela’s asamoral oil income- nomic expansion.nomic tional scales. tional issue asasocial health requiring andinterna policies social national on enda enda Rubén,nando a teenager, then the managed enrichment of personal through practice governmentstandard office. Fer- died in192 seizure of power in1908. and ec law school,tered alaw became professor,social the to and,though marginal of southern asayoung Guyana. the state He en Caracas from come to man ­fa recent immigrant Eu ofchallenged norms each the ofcommunities: Jewish their andCatholic, t hisregime. professionals into himhis made Gómez talented corporating from the Canary Island, and had ten Island, ten andhad Canary the from respective their families fered, initiatives allowed for the expansion of allowed the institutions. initiatives medical for nando’s r usted representative (he referred to Coronil as“my Coronil (hereferred to eyes”)usted representative following his wyer of the dictator General Juan Vicente General who Gómez, was ofdictator the wyer ther, wasamestizo of Coronil, DomingoAntonio ­de Being raised by socially concerned professionals who maintained their their Being bysociallyconcerned raised professionals who maintained Following Gómez’s death in1935, rising oil income anddemo Ravelo, Adela married Domingo Antonio the Lya andFernando Rubén backgrounds in1938.Whiletheir married - dif ­pen after his after ­ o nomic elite,nomic quickly ­dence ­father, Fernando Rubén) andseven girls. WhenDomingo Antonio 5, his 11 ­fa From 1965 on, her international activity intensified, along intensified, activity From herinternational 1965on, from po from ther’s death,while his ­famil ­sis 12 ­famil ter, who a psychologist. became Elena, María ­ ro 14 y had limited means, for he had refrained from the the from refrained means, hehad limited y had for pean andes ­pean ­lit y. Eventually, university, heattendedthe where he 13 i cal ­cal ­ who ­ ros party affiliation deeply affiliation party ­ wer e within the po e withinthe le patient. In his medical practice, where practice, Inhismedical le patient. ­ fr e remarkably accepting of that amarriage ee, he had a devoted following from all followingee, adevoted from hehad tablished Venezuelan. Fernando Rubén’s ­ childr ­ mot her and en: three boysen: three (including Fer ­famil ­lit i ­ da cal e ­cal ­ hum y’s modesthaci coffee- ­sis ughter of immigrants ughter of immigrants ­sh ters sewed items to to seweditems ters lite as the personal personal asthe lite ble origins who had aped Fernando, as 15 adep ­ ­ fue Fernando ­ cra 16 led eco t at in While tizing tizing ------Introduction 11 - - - - ­ ary ofile ofile tic Ac ­pr ­milit y’s visits y’s ­ famil ­democra y a cosmopolitan cosmopolitan a y urmoil. Much of of Much urmoil. rary art. His deep and Latinand American e of the Dominican of e ­cal t ­famil d the United Statesd the United at i ­pean ­tempo ­thos ­lit tic forces. When U.S. Vice Vice When U.S. tic forces. The Coronil ­ro ter, his aunt Sofía, his aunt her and ter, 17 towar ­ ­ cra ­ sis e deeply engaged with the with intelligent engaged e deeply e he formed with lasting friendships here. In January 1958,In here. civic- a . ­sp ­wer ys to see the world grew out of his lasting grew of to the see ys world out ­Her ­uncle cked Pérez Jiménez dictatorship.The newly Jiménez Pérez cked her’s younger younger her’s ught artistsught todesire learn and his from art rotest against his presence. against rotest Unlike many students of his social class, Fer many students his social class, of Unlike e closely connected to nationale closely given politics, uncle uncle ­ ­ ba ­ ta ent wa ­ent ther). 18 ­ mot fa ­ er wer ­ ­lar p f­f arties electoralfor government. sponsored slates student ­cal p i ­lit tianparty that marginalized partiesleftist and promoted power from és Bello (as hadés Bello his To the distress of the United States, Venezuela’s interim government had interim government the States, Venezuela’s of United the distress To Fernando’s position in student government placed him in a high- placed government position in student Fernando’s Fernando attended high school from 1958 to 1962 during a tumultuous a tumultuous during from to 1958 1962 school attended high Fernando a, left Fernando con with a lifelongfor passion a, left ndr hris sent arms to Castro’s guerrilla forces then fighting Fulgencio Batista, guerrillaFulgencio in a then forces fighting arms tosent Castro’s gesture antidictatorial of solidarity that reflected historic exileties among Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Venezuela, Venezuela, and Honduras Guatemala, Salvador, El Haiti, Cuba, Republic, had States the aligned United with antidemo alliance overthrewalliance the U.S.- in Caracas deep antipathy held the populace Arbenz in 1954 Jacobo President the time. Guatemala’s The overthrow of support along with U.S. from thewith backing Agency, Central Intelligence fordictatorial including thein region, regimes President Richard Nixon visited Venezuela in May 1958, he was shocked to he was shocked in May 1958, Venezuela visited Nixon Richard President popu massive encounter Like his parents, Coronil did not join a party, but he was elected president of he was elected president but a party, Coronil join Like his parents, did not Youth federationthe primarily student Communist composed of on a slate members. elected President Rómulo Betancourt, theRómulo electedof social- leader President po remarkable a moment of position at public period for Venezuela and theand hemi forperiod Venezuela nando attended a public high school with a diverse student body, Liceo body, student with a diverse school high nando a public attended A ción Democrática made before a pact with taking party, the Social office C agenda. an anticommunist Many participatedstudents nonelite origins. poli of with him in student tics, that time at which thatpo artists was then the which center for They in Paris, years and writers. lived Latin American intellectualthe community. of and with his aunt relationship peciallyby his influenced Closely Meneses. Guillermo author Venezuelan the acclaimed husband, to they entwinedhis brought lives, parents’ his with personalas connections well as to perspective Eu ists and writers about di ists and writers about si self- in Venezuelan interest to and his aunt where Paris, Figure I.6. Campaign poster for election to the high school student federation. The slogan of Fernando’s slate: “For the fulfilment of students’ highest aspirations. Experience, Effectiveness, Dynamism.” Figure I.7. Speech delivered as president of the student federation at the Liceo Andrés Bello. 14 Introduction relations withCubarelations (1961). Cuba Organ the from Pro Amer sought inLatin United promote States to the andcapitalism democracy of combination electoral the as amodel for Kennedy would soon pres was closely United aligned U.S. with the States. President John F.(1959–64) i and national between connection ing the of history, focus bringing into mote hismessagemote of hemispheric in pro support andto its for visitedCastro Venezuela country the thank to groups Ca greater inthe As street demonstrations intensified, Coronil’s intensified, As street demonstrations bathroom. Following he slept incident, at that friends’ him a point hisactivities.Atone police when the to looking came for tention payantigovernment authoritiesbegancloser increased,to the protests at waspublicly ties personal ofgovernmenthad the critical was galling. As amember of that arespected ties. Thefact sovereignty. pathto American representhis claimto aLatin Betancourt’s criticized they and media; relationship United withthe States Venezuela. implicationsfor their Theposters didnot onlychallenge official anddebate neighborhood, crowdstransited reports read the gathered to of school. mounted boards infront their summaries on news heavi Inthis forces andcivilian and invadingthe bymilitary troops created posters with Cuba from defeat of broadcasts the radio on shortwave listened to students misleading accounts of success the andhisfellow Coronil ofattack. the sion byU.S.- who tells the story and from what perspective? Bay Duringof the Pigsinva aquestion would ledhimto that preoccupy himinthe terventions divided po in anewly ­fu de wove historiesofcountries, togetherthe ofin linkedideas their the who welcomed Cuban the revolutionary. delivered Castro speeches that among massive the crowd, which included andpo university n ternational repre ternational ture of Latin American liberation during liberation what American wasadefining moment ofture Latin ­pen ­Th Coronil’s po ­gr ess (1961). ese dramatic po dramatic ese t hishi ­dence le gh school, fellow students directed him to hide in the girls’ hideinthe gh school, himto directed fellowstudents ba ­ aders Simón Bolívar and José Martí, and pointed aders Bolívarandpointed Simón andJosé Martí, ­lit cked Cuban exiles (April 1961), the news media provided media news the cked Cuban exiles (April 1961), ­Under Bet i cal ­cal ­sen ­lit actions in this volatile authoriin this local period unsettled actions ­lit ­ta ­ iza i cal e ­cal ­tio i rib ­ cal ar ­cal tion of American States and severed diplomatic andsevered diplomatic States of American tion ­ent ns of freedom. The debatesns of surrounding freedom. U.S. in bean. ­bean. ancourt, Venezuelaancourt, expel to campaign ledthe vents profoundlyvents him as a ena. ­Aft 19 de ­ However, President- er Batista’s overthrow in January 1959, er Batista’s inJanuary 1959, overthrow ­co ­pen unter to Castro, casting his regime to unter ­dence ­ famil ­sh ­ i aped Coronil’s understand ca t ­ca . The teenage Coronil was was Coronil . Theteenage ­fa y with which Betancourt y withwhich Betancourt ther was once called to was once to called ther hrough the Alliance for hrough for Alliance the ­hou ­elect Bet ses for a period. ses for ­lit i cal le ­cal ­ towar ancourt fu ­ aders, ture: ture: d a ­ ly - ­ - - - - -

Introduction 15 ------­ca. ­ i ), in ­cas ­i Although Although 20 ses. They alsoses. aginaries. Theyaginaries. ­ ces ­cal im i tin American relations, ­lit ocial and national back Report on the Amer the on Report e studies in anthropologystudies e

­La ­at aped both of them over the them both of over aped ent s ­ent sh ­ er ture intellectual orientation. f­f ­fu ­cal. e attempting to the reimagine re i ­lit ­ wer e, and social majored and theory. in Social He e, ­tur ass immigrant origins who had who been active origins immigrant ass ­a e, Fernando connected with members of the connected of members with Fernando e, ­cl a who a who ­er ­si e shaken by the mounting dangers just when he he when just by the dangers mounting e shaken ther ­ ears together. They explored work and life, with They work explored ears together. engagement, when Coronil when engagement, entered Stanford Uni e from di markedly wer ­ six y six ­ ­cal i ­ wer ­lit uture. ­f ture founder of theture of magazine founder nacla al ­c ­ fu ed seminars that presaged his ed seminars that presaged ents’ path as a physician. However, when he encountered the array he encountered when However, path as a physician. ents’ ­li bor movement, she hadbor in Latin long been interested movement, she Amer ’s system of early professional study, he changed paths and im he changed study, professional early of system ’s ar ­bas ­la ­ca he context of growing national upheaval and counterculture question national growing and counterculture of he context upheaval ist parents working- ist of ­i tanford she pursued studies on the region, majoring in history, and on the majoring in history, tanford studies region, pursued she In t Despite thisDespite po Stanford, at but he was intellectuallyEarly in his studies where engaged roduced him to Julie Skurski, a fellow student. Raised on the West Coast Coast student. a fellow on Raised the Skurski, West him to Julie roduced Fred Goff ( Goff Fred ill at ease in its monochromatic atmosphere, Coronil ease in its attended a talk monochromaticill at atmosphere, on ban. At travel that the had a group U.S. challenged of by members Cuba theevent,on U.S.- activist and student fellow a t in the States, theyings to United gradu looked of scholar relation),(no young a Turner Terence with closely worked course of their of forty-course social transformation toas a path studying and po entered the doctoral in late Cornell in anthropology program University at social a British anthropologist1967 to with Victor Turner, study of Africa the pioneered who integration pro social and symbolic of became involved in the rights civil and antiwar movements. became involved gion’s gion’s po lit in history, himself mersed by left in the their thinking and writing intertwined, to as they find humor in the sought everyday lifethe and poetry in the po of courses offered by a liberal arts offered differedwhich courses education, of from Latin Amer and Institutions, an interdisciplinaryThought honors on program centered theme- planned to pursue university studies. Hoping to protect him from Hoping state university studies. toplanned pursue parentshis obtained sab a atmosphere, charged thisin highly repression Latin American intelligent ti the morgue to identify a body thought to be his son’s. Although it was not not was it Although the morgue to identify to be his son’s. thought a body his parents Fernando, batical to London. While versity a premedical as he intended in 1963 he began curriculum, to follow in his p At S grounds, they shared many convictions, aesthetics, and hopes. While un they and hopes. aesthetics, many convictions, shared grounds, dergraduates they that a relationship began Fernando and Julie Julie and Fernando 16 Introduction Ireland, and Chicago; Malcom X, Martin Luther King Jr., andRobert LutherIreland, andChicago; Ken King Jr., X,Martin Malcom uprisings metbyviolent repression inMexico City, Paris, Northern Prague, Anthony SeegerAnthony (who, like his University ofby the Chicago, Skurski, Coronil, took with them and they WhenVictor andTerence of practice. social as part Turner encountered work exciting addressed new that of production meaning the Kayapó andacritique myth of Talcott Parsons’s systems the theory, communitas, andTerence and of Turner developed aninnovative theory indigenous Brazilian lowland t hierarchies, upendedsocial that campaign mobilizedacy urban youth, and Cuban analyze the to Revolution’s ofandliminality ideas communitas liter e lationship andknowledge For production. arrangements imperial between emy N andLloyd Fallers, Geertz New ford founding on members of Committee the (of which prominent University of the Chicago professors Clif- theory tion symbolic American anthropology, functionalism, andmoderniza structural of Chicago. Fernando and Julie joined emerging the British challenges to s alism, racism, and patriarchy expanded, so didcritiques ofdominant the movement of po challenged the notions B of 1968. began studiesfall inthe sician), where they p ory. Asmembers ofTurners’ the innovative joint symbolic on seminar nedy and t conceptualization, ahistorical their social, andthe cultural the between sion theory. cultural pro cultural symbolic, and andthe relations couldsocial that material relate the inquiry Amer power inLatin played U.S. inlegitimating as well theory asofrole the modernization that t ished by his continuing with Terence dialogue Turner’s work. before Long he s r oci x r lack Power andurban rebellions movement, exploded; feminist andthe a ansformed subjectivities.ansformed He soughtapproach an integrated craft in to o ample, VictorTurner’s inapaperfor written seminar, heused Turner’s tions, tions, This wasanexp Coronil was critical of the dominant depoliticized conception of of dominant culture the critical was Coronil ­ces , Coronil was thinking through wasthinking question re, Coronil the the confront of howto al theories and disciplinary premises thatdisciplinary and heldtheories al sway at the University tudies oftudies Michel Foucault appeared andEdwardSaid U.S. inthe acad he e ­were assassinated; Tet Vietnam the Offensive, movement, antiwar ses, inwhich VictorTurner developedof liminality histheories ­Th xclusion of power relations from both realms. xclusion of both power from relations ­wer ese divi buttressed theoretical had prevailing the frameworks ­ces e leading proponents ses, andhistory. andanthropology losive time in the United States and the world. andthe losive United inthe States time ­i ca. H ­ca. e began to craft an intellectual approachto social anintellectual craft e began to ­uncle P ­ peop 21 ), village studies, andParsons’s systems les, myth and poetics, and social the les, andsocial andpoetics, myth ete Seeger,ete wasanaccomplished mu ­lit i cal. Asp ­cal. These e ­ rotests againstrotests imperi 22 fforts fforts ­ wer e recruited e recruited ­ There wer ­ e nour ­ co ­wer uple e e ­ ------Introduction 17 ­ ------­ful e who e who nard S. nard S. ­thos e. The Cuban The Cuban e. arges of internaof arges onflict and socialonflict and ther ­ ­ca, and Ber i ­ ­cal c i eception at his home foreception at ­lit under ch ­ a, highlighted by the Tricon a, highlighted ­si nized a r ­nized ­ga e grasped to and together introduce ound support from John Coatsworth, from support John ound wer ­ t intelligent There he f ­There her hastily or tellectual developments him from estranged Vic ­ imperialis ­ mot al recognition by state In an al recognition and medical authorities. ed economic historian of Latined economic historian of Amer These in ­These ­leg y and friends who had not yet met Fernando’s spouse. met Fernando’s y and friends had yet who not ­influenc ­famil uncle at the wheel) that would alter both the course of their lives their of lives alterthe both course that the would wheel) at uncle ­ er Coronil was depicted in the Mexican press as a drug dealer, he he er Coronil was depicted as a drug in the Mexican press dealer, heir understanding of state power. In the convoluted aftermathof the In the convoluted heir understanding state of power. ago’s dominant strain of culturalism. Increasingly he looked to history looked he dominant culturalism. strain Increasingly of ago’s al figures, and on the state’s capacity appearances for to create state’s and on nationalthe al figures, ­Aft In an effort to obtain such an invitation to do research in Cuba, Fer In an effort Cuba, obtain an invitationsuch to in research to do Coronil and Skurski developed dissertation developed Coronil on the and Skurski proposals dynamics gned Movement. While Cuba was a hub for this activity, the U.S. trade the U.S. for this was a hub activity, gned Movement. While Cuba tain and their departurerelease his from the country a stun provided hic tinental in 1966 in Conference held and the Havana, formation the of Non- This ulti- City. in Mexico Embassy to traveled thenando Cuban and Julie Fer mately futile (with car crash serious in a effort led to involvement their nando’s fictionsto and negotiationstionalrequired The subsequent drug dealing. ob on the lesson hidden relationsning between state officials and power Fernando’s standing, improvised wedding marked by comedic turns by comedic events, they marked of wedding improvised married in With characteristic calm and under office. a citySeptember 1969 in clerk’s and Skurski left for Venezuela. This sequence of bizarre of events brought sequence This Venezuela. left for and Skurski home the their to depth of commitment other personally and the each importance of extended and international publics. state welcomed solidarity groups and permitted closely controlled visits. visits. controlled solidarity and permitted state closely groups welcomed only by research academics and allowed of was suspicious it But with formal invitations. arrived government and t as the was jailed falsely hospitalized), accused Fernando (with Julie crash then City imprisoned in Mexico the of car, driver loc transformation. for intellectual resources. a Marxist- Ali scholarly restricted of the and lack with communication island, embargo for research conducting possibilities the limited studies which culture, politics, and history and politics, culture, which po into culture of the of study a dynamic concept the with of him in an uneasy University relationship and placed tor Turner C of critique India whose of historical anthropologist pioneering a Cohn, anticipated movement. Studies the Subaltern sources colonial had a focal become point this During period, Cuba Revolution. theof Cuban for international an anti- 18 Introduction to travel to Cuba travel to to Venceremos with the Brigade, had already arranged They had not. worked,had while efforts conventional long- the productivist proj V pological fieldwork.four than hundred members Themore theThird of Cubanthe government would remain to allowthem Castro promised wouldCastro allow Cuba achieve economic autonomy. to a two- shortly ­la pre crop) was includingan export and attending talks, (fruit memorable trees Isla Juventud dela (Isle of Youth, Isle the citrus formerly oftending Pines) Cubanto do research regime,them an invitation offered had a ing policies impacton ofrelations, control, social racial andintellectual host andSkurski United Coronil inCuba, the States, remained to gade returned eled a Cuban on cargo ship Cuba. to f with Cuban leaders dating contacts who had Inocente Palacios), lectual of aVenezuelanmediation of Fernando’s friend leftist intel (the parents and low- rural from youth of“integrating” could difficulties the help understand at suggestion the of Rodríguez, who young believed that anthropologists was a time of heightened Sovietization and state repression alast andstate had that of heightenedSovietization was atime ca life and cultural issued. itthat would just bea they observation, doparticipant to expected explained they that brigade Columna Youth Juvenil (Centennial del Centenario Column; over U.S.outcry scientists’ social counterinsurgency research proj topics topics and SkurskiCoronil told Cuban proposed their research authorities that r ct enc om hisperiodofom exile, Rodríguez, CarlosRafael arespected leaderof the ter andhaveter been de, as“el also known Quinquenio Gris,” Gray the Five or Years). This ivity. Theconsequences public periodonlybecame ofgrim this years On their return to Chicago received to return On their they welcome through news: the Their stayinCuba coincided ineconomic withaperiodof deepshifts contextofIn the U.S. pressure Cuban the on regime international andthe ­sen ed in eremos Brigade converged inSt. Johns, trav where they from Canada, ­ye ­wer ­ta after t ­after ar push inhistory, that achieve largestone the to sugar harvest ­tio ­inco ­est ­hot e open to revision. Officials to Officials thestudy revision. asked them agricultural e open to ns by Viet ablished Venezuelan of connections using practice personal els government. bythe me backgrounds into the revolutionary proj me backgrounds revolutionary the into he official failure thehe official of Million Ten in 1970, Tons Harvest ect, w ­ect, ther ­ ­ litt e, now referred to as “la Década Gris” as“lae, nowreferred to Década Gray (the De ­nam hich fused notions of revolutionary sacrifice and the sacrifice and of revolutionary notions hich fused le studied. andSkurski Coronil arrived had inCuba ma ­ ­ese tter of time before the required the before of time permits tter female guerrillas. guerrillas. female ­There they spent weeks several they the on 24 ­Aft and the invitation from from invitation andthe er the rester the of Bri the ther ­ e to doanthro e to ect. Whent ­ect. ­ther e. ­ wer 23 25 Thus, e told This cjc wer ­ ­ects hey hey ), e - - - - - ­ , Introduction 19 ­ ------In 27 - e orches ­ect led to ists” who who ists” ­ wer ­left - le enthusiasti de. ­ca peop ­ ul Sartre, Simone de ­Pa volutionary in April 1971 ­re e critical of the regime’s anti- e critical the of regime’s e henceforth shut toe henceforth the “bour shut ably, the anthropologist Oscar the anthropologist ably, wer ­ e unable to unable e interpret- ref the veiled wer ­ ­not ture. Paradoxically, the proj Paradoxically, ture. ­wer y. A transformativeA a with friendship y. ­ it fu ­ e linked to Castro’s public break with public toe linked Castro’s icism prompted public letters concern of prompted public icism 28 pe (including Jean- pe (including ­crit ­ wer ­ro e shut down. Many Cuban intellectuals lost down. Many Cuban e shut e critics broke relations with thee critics regime. broke u wer ­ Since they Since thes ­ yle self- yle The sudden shift from the triumphalist heroic dis heroic shift from The sudden the triumphalist The arrest of the prizewinning Cuban poet Herberto the of prizewinning Cuban The arrest ­ st 29 ­ca and E 26 i ­ ­hand. ban filmmaker, Sara Gómez, the only femaleban filmmaker, at directorthe ­Cu orms of silencing orms silencing of tic aspects. Pensamiento CríticoPensamiento pulation was mobilized for thispulation effort, was mobilized and many e eventse second versity of Havana (where Gramscianversity Marxism (where Havana of had the been taught) and a Década Gris, marked by food shortages and growing skepticism, con by food marked shortagesa Década skepticism, and growing Gris, reater economic and ideological reliance on the Among reliance Soviet Union. ideological and reater economic These f ­These Given the silence of the Cuban press, Coronil and Skurski learned about learned about Coronil and Skurski press, the Cuban of the silence Given ba was uncertain. ni u f l its consequences, determinist Soviet determinist Marxism on the imposed was educa itsconsequences, a g ­thes erences in official in official erences statements or to identify officials who the tional system and its curriculum, while the philosophy departmenttional the of its and the curriculum, while system philosophy U real frontedthem opaque an with young Afro-young Arte del changed their Instituto Cubano e Industria Cinematográficos, Beauvoir, Italo Calvino, Carlos Fuentes, Gabriel García Márquez, Gabriel Italo Carlos Fuentes, Calvino, andBeauvoir, Mario Llosa). Several of Vargas their in status as foreign researchers culturaltrating policy, this repressive C democra cally placed faithcally placed in the promised journal their this posts de or for had during no outlet their work internationalleading intellectuals— Lewis theorists books whose and French creation of a “new man,” aimed to expand the neglected sugar industry, toaimed industry, theexpand neglected sugar “new a creation man,” of identification The entailedcampaign colonialism. with the sugar’s despite semi-militarization society of disrupted and state economic and deeply extraordinary ability Castro’s to a narra create given However, activities. of much revolutionarytive of submission, colonial of a past over triumph the po had the greatest impact on the national and international scene. Padilla’s hadonimpact the the national greatest internationaland Padilla’s scene. detention and Soviet- toCastro international from of range wide a intellectuals, leftist primar fromily Latin Amer Padilla and his public confession as a counter- confession Padilla and his public course presented to the Venceremos Brigade to the embattled atmosphere to Brigade the atmosphere embattled presented to the Venceremos course o geois libelers” of the of Revolution. libelers” geois angry response, Castro denounced the “shameless pseudo- angrythe “shameless Castro denounced response, glory thatsought declared only “truly He London, in Paris, living or Rome. revolutionary” in Cuba prizes serve intellectuals or receive would as judges doors that the country’s and announced 20 Introduction a subaltern perspective. ­wer that learned member of ConjuntoFolklórico the Nacional— of Oriolmany whom,such Bustamante— interlocutor astheir couldgatherings, cause asthey prob ­thes in religious Yoruba) or to companied friends Santería ceremonies (primarily knowledge limited had of Afro- being marginalized, andfeminismwasbeing equatedbeing marginalized, with university,thought the was being from erased Fanon’s Frantz thought was pro revolutionary the working- friendshipprofoundly both them. for of influential hierarchies.dogmatism, andblindnesspatriarchal Thiswasa racial to the revolution with yet identified who perspective. acircle andartists Sheintroduced to of them intellectuals De cierta manera filmDeher planned length feature cierta she wasconducting research Afro- on a and their could bedeniedmembership they known, Communistcame inthe Party, criminals aswell broadcasts When radio aspolice cast actions primitive atavisms that ligions. Prac “I amnot aFidelista,” she said,critiquing top- the inways challengedgovernment’s that the lutionary statistorientation. wasrevo work grassrootslife on Her documentary intersectional. called ment, Gómez works incon cinematic that made tion. Less publicly Less tion. known ual exceptions.ual such policies inCuba, they and in earlier years forcibly detained, received some international atten and inearlier received years forcibly detained, some international andpo culturally censorship. Mea ­peop In heropen- C During this period, cultural repression extended beyond intellectual repression intellectual period,cultural beyond During this extended e fundamental to the lives the of to working e fundamental e topics e topics o ronil andSkurskiingatherings at tookpart Gómez’s while apartment le’s ­cl , they , they ve ass ­hou ­ ti ­nues o ­ wer ­thes ­tio ­peop ses. They ­ wer ­ended films, G e not sciences, addressed social inthe at time they that n ­lit sur ­ e African- ­ers i e obliged their be If beliefs conceal affiliation. their to f professional advancement could beblocked. ­call le in their discussionsle intheir about changes the brought by es taken againstes taken gay ­ces ­wer y whiteproj wer ­ s. During the same period that Antonio Gramsci’ss. Antonio sameperiodthat During the ­wer ­These e e stigmatized as“antisocial”e stigmatized beliefs as andtheir wer ­ e supposed dis to wer ­ ­deriv e cautioned not to talk to anyone to about talk note cautioned to e the policies that restricted Afro- policies restricted e the that e applied unevenly, and ómez documented the everyday lives of everyday the ómez documented ­Cu ­wer ed and Cuban transculturated practices practices ed andCuban transculturated xperiences providedanenormous chal ­ect of t ban history or religion when they ac religion or when they history ban e critical of its growing centralization, growing of centralization, its e critical ­lems fo ­Cu ban life and cultural practices for for practices andcultural life ban he Cuban Revolution. peop ­ peop ­ r themselves and ap ­ (OneWay Another). or view ­ le, banned from teaching le, from banned pear pear ­tempo le of all origins andraces, ed Cuban history from from ed Cuban history ­down, male- ­thes under the r ­under the rary terms would terms be rary ther ­ wo ­ e prac e men’s advance ­wer ­ ot ­ti hers. They evolution. ­Cu ­tio e individ ­cen ­fo 31 Likeall unding ban reban - n tered, tered, ­ers as ­ thes 32 As 30 e ------

Introduction 21 ­ - - - - - her, her, e nar- ­ mot uple ob uple her’s call, her’s ­ thes ­co e allowed toe allowed mot ­ wer ­ he form statistics. of files the e called to with meet uple from Switzerland,uple wer ­ ­co ent in t ­ent ), which had been trying), which to tered studies of Cuba in which in which Cuba of tered studies e formative for- became what last ­cen ter through fbiter through ­wer ­ la ate- e absent or pres e absent aped Coronil’s perspective on leftist politics, politics, on leftist perspective Coronil’s aped t their effortsstalled, as they ­ and st and wer ­ u ­sh e asked to leave the country. Nevertheless, this Nevertheless, the country. to leave asked e use the government was revising its was revising policyuse the government on for . B ­After months, theymany uple’s return to Venezuela, and obstructed Coronil’s and obstructed Coronil’s return to Venezuela, uple’s

­wer ses of transculturation of Latin ses which Ameri through - he fortuitously phoned thehe fortuitouslyphoned 33 ­co ­beca ­ ces ­after s e shocked to find themselves amid refined consumer dis consumer refined amid to find themselves e shocked he context in which Coronil and Skurski attempted to Coronil con and Skurski he context in which uple when they when returnuple to did not the States United with the er spending months in the austere conditions of embattled Ha embattled conditions months of in theer spending austere ­ wer ­co uple left for Paris, from where they planned to renew Coronil’s left forwhere they uple from plannedParis, renewto Coronil’s ­ties been forged. have nam War demonstrators throwing balloons red paint— filled with nam War ­Aft ­co ­Viet w his student visa at the U.S. embassy, he nonchalantly walked past he nonchalantly past walked embassy, the U.S. visa at w his student ­ect. This was t The Once obliged to leave Cuba, Coronil needed to renew his Venezuelan Coronil to needed renew Cuba, his Venezuelan to leave obliged Once ture and their forms of silencing; the epistemological basis of of basis turetheir and the forms epistemological silencing; of areer. ene eign researchers. They researchers. eign tained through the Freedom of Informationtained of the Freedom through Act. vana, they to intellectuals. When Coronil sought French inquisitive and mildly plays r anti– the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (fbi Investigation of Bureau Federal the U.S. locate the return visa and tostudent States the United to formulate a new research proj duct research on the cjc research duct ­c the the home former of at (and Fernando’s staying was president she where Betancourt, Betancourt to asked former a new send Rómulo she nemesis) on the as his same day Strangely, embassy. the to passport his name, It then placed learned that he was in Cuba. Brigade, Venceremos persons to of be denied entry agent, on a list as a subversive to the United States, a fact he learned years only race and history, the and history, state,race personalism, and the knowledge. politics of Coronil that and saga compelled a larger of the marked It also beginning deportation from the led to topic, to research Coronil’s shift their Skurski StatesUnited and the When his the Embassy. Swiss only through do so could passport but As lived alternative perspectives, they alternative perspectives, As lived ­fu can socie profoundly Cuba period in lenge to thelenge standard class- and ethnicity religion, race, and the narratives the past of Eurocentric work: in Coronil’s concerns ing theand ratives; pro ofwith the and members leaders visit accompanied make only an officially in Camagüey. brigade learned this Lya, officials at the Centralofficials who informedCommittee not be would them they to do fieldwork able 22 Introduction escalating demonstrations against andCam secret demonstrations the bombingsescalating inLaos what ­leg dist in wasapparently Blue Hisname tions. not infamous Book listed inthe used York,New hewasable pass through to control without immigration ques not acause concern for bodia. Coronil’sbodia. requests ahearing went for unanswered Francisco. changed. Theins join to Skurski, but his California allowed travel to to ­thes he “treat asif himto Coronil instructing ington, Venezuelan the requested from action immediate ambassador inWash physicianwho wasthen Caldera’s President Rafael to Thepresident wife. his request consul the Coronil’skeep quiet, promptly called this to a consul inMiami, would confusion the beclearedthat up, phonedVenezuelan Coronil the communist agent.Confident building hewasaninternational acase that of countries stamps wheretraveled,the hehad including Cuba. They they learned, of rights apersonlegally U.S.the on soil. ( why, hewasplaced inanoff- United Without the States. to being told entry andrefused inMiami airport control at byimmigration intransit the hewasdetained California to trip his out, turned hadbroken who the founded byleftists with Cuban As government. it alSocialismo, anin Movimiento the from friends ­co ski’s visit to Skur border.the California Enormously continuedto relieved, they tile demands. During his three days of detention the demands. the During days his three tile of detention ­co on examining his passport rather than questioning than him. As his Coronil passport rather examining on ins uple returned to the University of the Chicago.uple to returned hemetwith WhileinCaracas uple anopaque deeperinto ever andfu realmofaccusations unknown t al limbo, the Coronil sought to obtain a hearing from the ins the soughtCoronil ahearingfrom obtain to A juridical world the imaginings of Kafkaesque and drew fictions C he pre- racted U.S.racted officials they quicklystamped hisvisa.When e andsubsequent was Coronil pressures diplomatic effect. limited had ) detention center,) detention byCuban anold motel run exiles, where helacked oronil then took a brief trip to Caracas to see his to Caracas to tookabrieftrip then oronil family inOakland. ­family ­ev er mysterious against had chargesperiodof him.During this they ­digi ­wer tal age of keep travelers track to whotal ­ ev ­ co e convinced that he had altered his passport to removee convinced altered his passport to he had that ery move was reported to U.S. to move wasreported authorities.ery Onhisreturn c uple lived in a co-op in Berkeley and participated in the inthe uple lived inBerkeley andparticipated inaco-op o famil ­ nsidered “offshore” himtechnically the San of at Port ­ after hise after y friend, to inform him of his situation. Despite himof hissituation. inform to y friend, si ­ te Immigration and Naturalization Ser andNaturalization Immigration te xperiences of protest inCaracas— 34 ­de wer ­ ­pen ­wer so hecould contest e my son.” However, i leg ­ ns ­dent s e to be stoppede to at famil ­ al status wasun al status

­ after s after officers focused ocialist party ocialist party y before the the y before ­la ter flew to flew ter ubmitting ­fa ther, ­wer ­la ­vice ­and ter ter e ------Introduction 23 - - - - ­ le ­ful use logy ­ peop ­ beca her had had a ­ mot ­ects and ideo elent. Coronil and wyer, Jay Shaffron, Jay wyer, ture as an academic tureacademic an as t r ­la ur pounds of luggage. luggage. of ur pounds ­fu e excluded from entrye excluded fo ­ Soon Coronil received a Soon Coronil received 35 il it was resolved, was resolved, il it ­wer re treating your case as if case treatingre your did no ­ unt , he contacted, friend,his Sec ­They’ e married to U.S. citizens, and depor citizens, e married to U.S. al, and intelligence apparatus deeply deeply apparatus al, and intelligence ­leg ­ thos uple moved to Venezuela, where they where lived to Venezuela, moved uple with thewith ins co ­ wyer. The agency that claimed wyer. the revealing With the aid of a Venezuelan government grant government the a Venezuelan aid of With la ­ 37 Shaffron offered to take over Coronil’s case. He case. Shaffronoffered toover Coronil’s take lems” ­lems” 36 wyer commented, “ la ­ instructing him to report to airport the San Francisco t hours with no more thant hours forty- ould result in permanent exclusion. Yet despite his exten despite Yet in permanent exclusion. result ould ­eigh under it w ­under it . Although the university took no steps to aid him, his adviser Terence the university to Terence . Although took no steps aid him, his adviser aged anthropologists. aged His expulsion from States the United expulsion His made his This experience of being caught up in the twisted a power of caught being of works This experience The deportation order cited an article that dated from the Immigra- ronil received the tworonil received letters the same time. at g o ut dysfunctionalut bureaucratic, He was to be deported. However, only days before, his before, days only was toHe be deported. However, corporate a New with York socialchance encounter retary State of deportation and obtained Schultz, a stay of George order. C letterfrom the ins within forty- Alarmed learnedhe when Venezuela. in companies oil with worked who son had “prob thatLya’s advised him toadvised remain in the States United forthe made law no exceptions tation sive efforts sive months, the ins the over following a newbegan life Coronil and Skurksi as Nevertheless, tored in Venezuela. en informed Coronil’s thinking. In subsequent research, he approached the he approached research, In subsequent thinking. informed Coronil’s contradictory and state as a complex institutions of and actors. web Turner wrote in his support. wrote Eventually Shaffron Turner able to negotiate one was return be allowed to ifStates,would United Coronil he left the concession: only once—to defend doctoral his by this dissertation. out worn In 1972, state security nightmare, the for the years. seven next vaguely defined as anarchists and subversives subversives as anarchists and defined vaguely support they where sought this period in Chicago, of much spent Skurski for new approval and dissertation fromChicago the of proj University ects b tion Act of 1918, a product of the first Red Scare when categories of when Red categories Scare thetion of first a product Act 1918, of into States. the United charges against him would endanger the security of the U.S. government. the endanger security him would the U.S. of against charges In frustration, his a dossier on life his Amerihis upstandingan as dossier a - of citizen, on the advice Libertiescan Civil Union Pentagon.” planethe over spy U-2 flown a you’d and a cohort of supportive social supportive scientists they of and a cohort and historians, began proj development the industrial to impact of research difficult to imagine. The U.S. Embassy signaled difficult Embassy he was being moni The U.S. to that imagine. 24 Introduction national scene. develop Themiragenational of wildly accelerating andamplifying eco gists regularly produced ethnographies and Skurski’s Coronil ofstate, the gists boards of directors, aswellanthropolo askinshipbefore ties.Atatime investors through national intersecting andmajor manufacturers, small planners, exploredamongstate They connections bymultinationals. made simply to engine, asseming the than rather businesses. a Venezuelan The projected manufacture goal was to car, includ related andits bourgeoisie industry capable of heavy stimulating modern it occupied ideological akey space inthe automobile the on industry— a Pérezlos Andrés (1974–79). duringinitiated Venezuela’s oilperiod boom Figure I.8. business Fieldwork conference, auto Caracas, 1975. the industry: on ment was not simply a state construct. Global,ment privatesector, wasnot simply construct. andpopu astate ctors participated in promoting the vision. Coronil andSkurski vision. Coronil the focused inpromoting participated ctors Durin ­nom ­icall g t his period, a new vision of Venezuela’shis period,anew y in ­de ­pen ­dent , andglobally power influential the burst onto ­speci fically, sector— the parts auto ­ima ­ble o under the p under the ­ gined creation of a national ofgined creation anational n Venezuelan soil vehicles fu ­ ture asanindustrial, ture residency of Car residency ­beca use ­ lar lar - - - - Introduction 25

­ ------­cal, i y ties ­lit e kinds nized an ­nized famil ­ ­ga thes ­ ughter Mari- East oil crisis crisis oil East da ­ m research into how m research ­Middle e regarded his work as his work e regarded ­ ter ther ­ anding connectionsanding to the ­ st ate and to to listen the views ­ st eat joy, deepened their joy, eat . Coronil and Skurski or . Coronil and Skurski rary Art, directed by Fernando’s aunt aunt rary Art, directed by Fernando’s eer in Venezuela. He was undeterredwas He Venezuela. in eer gr ­ ught artists (misleadingly labeled in artists labeled ught (misleadingly Following the Following ­ects 38 ­ ta ­car ­tempo ee to return to and Skurski States. the He United ­ fr tists reflected on subjects that included ecological devas ecological tists reflectedsubjects that included on eturn to the University of Chicago to theireturn complete doctoral to Chicago the of University heir years living in Caracas, Coronil and Skurski became more Coronil in Caracas, Skurski and living heir years g t These ar These ­ cross the country, they established connections they artiststhe creative with country, established cross e seen as marginale seen to its proj ’s presidency, stating that the unspecified charges against him statingagainst had that charges the unspecified presidency, ’s unned to receive a letter from the U.S. Embassy, at the end of Jimmy Jimmy the end of at Embassy, a letter fromunned to the receive U.S. t ­ded to r ­ter uty and rural Their explorations into the villages of land and the cosmos. ue challenged prevailingue challenged theories in the that artviewed world In the midst of their varied engagements, which also included university included also which their of varied engagements, In the midst Durin ­thos a ms a onomic, and cultural relations. Deeply attachedonomic, to Deeply and cultural his country relations. origin, of exhibition at the Museum of Con the of Museum at exhibition Sofía Ímber, titled “Artistas al Margen” (Artists on the al Margen” It was the Margins). titledSofía “Artistas Ímber, its at of for institution, that exhibition kind the cata and first their essays log of producers as “intuitive” and unselfconscious rather than unselfconscious and artists. “intuitive” as proper as producers of Centro de Estu theCentral at Venezuela’s of and work teaching University zas’s structural dominated Marxist discussions. approach zas’s tation, the solitude of oil towns, the veneration of Simón Bolívar, and the tation, the Simón towns, Bolívar, oil veneration of of the solitude be dios para Desarrollo (Center el , Coronil for Studies; cendes) Development was s Car was He been dropped. deci dissertations and rejoin academic discussions in the United States. in thedissertations United discussions academic and rejoin ana Adela, them bringing along with They developed also society. theiras Venezuelan understanding of well as self- of a number with friendships by the towns in oil in desolate spawned lived whom some of and thinkers, dustry. effort to under as the barrios Caracas, informed of as well Coronil’s areas, stand the the petro- of hidden dimensions of richly involved with life in their new birth The home. their involved of richly work brought out the concealed presence of diversified economic groups economic groups diversified of presence the concealed out brought work familiesbased in prominent that had long- statetoand multinational capital. At the same time, or “naïve”). parts thatgenuos they automobile researched fir petrodollars and their materialization transformed Venezuela’s po petrodollars and their materialization transformed Venezuela’s ec he intended to pursue an academic academic an intendedhe to pursue by the fact intellectuals that established some Poulant and insufficiently theoretical empirical at a Nicos when time overly of 1973 and efforts internationalof financial institutions redirect floodthe to oil an experienced to Venezuela metropolitan economies, petrodollars of boom. In this context, Coronil undertook long- Figure I.9. With the Venezuelan artist Rafael Vargas, who, de­cades earlier, migrated to work in the oil industry in Cabimas, Zulia. Photo by Julie Skurski.

Figure I.10. Visit with rural artists in Falcón State, Venezuela. Photo by Julie Skurski. Figure I.11. Fernando and Julie with the painter Emerio Dario Lunar at his home in Cabimas, with an oil pump in the background.

Figure I.12. With Elsa Morales, artist and friend, in Caracas, 1993. Photo by Julie Skurski. Figure I.13. Debating politics with painter Rafael Castillo Arnal in downtown Caracas, 2000. Photo by Julie Skurski.

Figure I.14. Painting by Castillo Arnal on bills of Venezuelan currency that depict a masked protester, Simón Bolívar with a machete, and an indigenous wo­ man. The work is dedicated to Fernando, acknowledging his efforts to promote the artist’s work internationally. Introduction 29 ------d t ways. t ways. 40 ­ towar her, Lya, Lya, her, ­tan ess. f economic ughter, An ughter, ­gr ­ mot ed event, in ­da sis o ­sis eer. ­dent ce ­ ernational Monetary He was then delighted was then He delighted ch 2, 1989. Coronil and ­his car ­ Int 39 t center of interdisciplinary of t center Mar ­ thin an analy ­tan lence wi ­lence aped Coronil’s work in impor work Coronil’s aped e studies, interrupted studies, e state by interven ­sh e in Venezuela for a year of research, they research, for of a year e in Venezuela ­cal vio ­at i ­lit ­wer y an sciences in the wake of the epistemological de the in the of epistemological wake an sciences ack position in the Anthropologyack Department and uple joyously welcomed their second their second welcomed joyously uple ­tr y. During this period, John and Jean Comaroff joined Comaroff Jean and this During period, John y. ­ famil ­hum ­co he famil ­ licies and the discourse of civilization of and pro licies and the discourse tdoc at the Helen Kellogg Institute for International Kellogg Studies tdoc the Helen at ­after t ­cal po i ughters. They ughters. wrote an article on this unpre versity, and with the backing of faculty of the and with backing from both departments,versity, he ­lit g a pos ­da ted the discussion of po ted of the discussion While he and his The University was an impor Michigan of After moving back to Chicago, his Coronil lost ­Aftertragically Chicago, to back moving a tellectual support of the historical anthropologist Bernard S. the of historical anthropologist support and Cohn tellectual heir he uni n centering promptedcentering by the linguistic turn,studies, postcolonial critical race drea Lya, to the drea Lya, while soon while tions, Coronil forged a new path as a historical anthropologist of the of state. tions,Coronil a new forged path as a historical anthropologist Durin thatsacre became known with as the they Caracazo, through which lived t that the Nation,” and Remembering “Dismembering in this volume, cluded loc Fund measures that on February 27– measures occurred Fund on the protests military research and the carried ensuing out Skurski mas and po was offered a was offered tenure- the deterioration rapid witnessed the party of and protests, rising system, against social uprising repressed the violently nil developed the concept of the “magical state.” the of “magical the concept nil developed the History Department, of much he spent where Anthrohistory and Anthroheresy extended his gradu Following Guillermo Dame (directed University Notre by the Argentineat sociologist focused types onO’Donnell), regime amid scholars and transitions, Coro the historian John Coatsworth, the anthropology faculty, helping to itsthe change primary helping anthropology faculty, on Ameri emphasis - with the along continuing friendship, Their anthropology. can symbolic i gan. He quickly became integrated into the intellectual stimulating quickly gan. He life of t to receive a Society of Fellows postdoc in 1988 at the University of Michi the of University in 1988 at postdoc a Societyto receive Fellows of efforts rethinkto the Terence Turner’s support remained constant. Coronil’s dissertation, “The remained support constant. Coronil’s Turner’s Terence Capitalism and Democracy Fetishism, in Venezuela” Eldorado: Money, Black Anthropology the time(1987), at an anomaly Chicago’s in the of University Department, shifts more broadly coming in pioneered the discipline and stateglobal issues. 30 Introduction tion in the debates inthe ofgenerative this period.Thisbook howtwentieth- tion traces and his development the program in anthropology of unique to the doctoral ination Stuart Hall. Stuart a generative working group invited path- that Transformation Studiesof (1987–2001), Comparative Social seminar faculty andSkurskilations. Coronil studies, feminist andFoucauldian theory, power- to attention with sciences social of inthe wasbecoming agency identified notion While the Walter Benjamin, and agency, Gramsci,Hall,Raymond built Williams, Coronil work the on of Marx, repre atmagician centerstage. appeared state rents, asendowed the within tional pro or “magical,” represent to the capacity state’swhich the ground oil to income from rent central became fetishistic, stewardship overto natu cen the departure of founding members, departure the postcolonial andstudies theory, of empire. studies, cultural anthropology,in critical Marxian theory, poststructuralist at t cussing ascolleagues, with them andconcluding conferences with parties worked collectively engaging withthem, ashewould them colleagues, dis of friends. program,many lasting He whombecame of inthe students profoundly free- of equated broader connections, andinwhich became with globalization questions aside left interest fragment period inwhich inthe poststructuralist oil could be seen pro asexercising within larger agency structural cal ec cal states. global the level,being on including remade within andamongsubaltern At a time when postmodernist currents in the social sciences had severed sciences social severed inthe had when postmodernistAt atime currents Coronil’s wasprofoundly book Magical The State A pioneering work of po anthrohistory, integrates Magical The State heir home whereheir home every tury state formation in Venezuela formation state through was mediated state’s the tury claim ­gr ­flowing ­hum ­sen onomy andpo ess. of interna Through hiddencapture andrematerialization its t ory. ­ta an intentionality, heasked ­tio 41 42 ­sh At the university, Atthe andimag hisgreatest devoted efforts Coronil ns from material pro material ns from movement, he askedmovement, how bound Theprogram, which andreor hedirected aped the intellectual development of generations aped intellectual several the ­lit i cal ideo ­cal ­ot ral w ­ral hers to study the materiality of repre study materiality hers to the one wasenc ­one wer ­ ealth. It demonstrates the historical pro historical the Itdemonstrates ealth. logy, andrepre policy state e active participants in the interdisciplinary interdisciplinary inthe e active participants ­ces ­whet 43 ouraged dance. to ses and granted them free- them ses andgranted peop ­ became a noted center for debates centerfor anoted became her apower el pueblo le (el 44 ­br Hispedagogical approach ­aries andhier eaking thinkers, including ­ sh de ­ ful c ­ful - aped byhisparticipa ­pen ) and direct national ) anddirect national 45 ­ga ommodity such as ommodity ­ sen ­dent pow ­nized f ­ know ­ta archies ­tio ­ sen ces ­ nal prac nal ollowing ledge re- ses. In a ­ta ­ floa ers, the ­ces ­tio ­wer ting ting s by s by ­lit ns. i e - - - - ­ ­ Introduction 31 ­ ------m ­ter hat he ­ects t borrelation— ­la ale and long- ale ­sc oups, oil policy, and policy, oil oups, - sys of the and ns study ­cal c i ­tio es. By taking then By es. up issues ­lit ­ta ­sen ­manc r The Magical State The Magical ture in Question,” ­fo ses, and nationalses, relations global and ­ ses. Fu using on the using capital- can be adequately understood only by by only understood canadequately be ces ­ ­ces ­ca ­foc i ­ es and repre and es ­manc r onomic pro ­fo thin both cultural anthropology and conventional history cales. Arguing thatcales. Marx in his neglected to Nature analyze ­cal and ec candals, and presidential and candals, per ­liti of state of per ent s ­ent ses. Like his last essay, “The essay, his last Like ses. rk begins from the premise that the possibilities of countries in the countries from of begins the thatrk premise the possibilities er ­cal s sis ­sis i f­f y te beginning in the 1990s, as well as two as well in the additionalte 1990s, beginning proj ­ces Drawing on Henri Lefebvre’s theorizationDoreen (along with space of Lefebvre’s on Henri Drawing ­lit o Massey, David Harvey, and Edward Soja), Coronil how the analyzes dynam Soja), and Edward Harvey, David Massey, seen by many as outmoded (such as nature as well as development eco as development as nature as well by manyoutmoded (such as seen ics of state power in Latinin state icsof power Amer Views from theViews South his syntheticCoronil developed theoretical to South the Global approach participating while transnational in networkstogether di that brought nomics), the work combines a discursively informed approach with the informed approach a discursively nomics), combines the work anal Marxism.ductionist narrow At the time, challenges same and descriptive it tendencies wi thatobstruct the structurallarge- understanding of pro points so false beyond that of much a set continue to oppositions govern cial inquiry. in pro he was engaged intellectual The discussions verse communities. essentialhe an vide framework for understanding essays the generative wr of Force the in El Dorado Darkness of undertook. was a member Task He Association (aaa), an ethicsthe American inquiry Anthropological into in the work Chagnon’s Napoleon thethe anthropologist over controversy own tripartiteown theory value— of his wo often are South of primarytied as providers to role their Global products. An examination modernity of questions in and from it South, the Global modernization both developmentalism of the universalizing theory and re infrastructure to programs, industrial presidential campaigns, displays po temic po and space toattending value, among nature, the historical relationships di at tices, materialtices, life and cultural pro history ethnographic of It is a work and historical inquiry. into a single historical sociology and an anthropology the of state South. in theGlobal re of the examination succession a in Through historical conjunctures of topics that from range includes po it gimes, 32 Introduction lently reordering worlds. social church to the social sciences, epistemologies negating alternative and vio coloniality’sterm, logic worked has the through ranging from institutions in hisflawed book. Coronil anin offered Venezuelanthe made Tierney accusations contentious examine to state, Committee’saaa Ethics Task the ElDorado Force, inlight of hiswork on larized aroundlarized amisleading “science versus anti- “ Quijano’s on drew that postcolonialism American concept of Latin and ism Amer inthe of coloniality theorization and its group’sthe critique of Eurocentrism,world, modern role the its informing and U.S. played Coronil thought. critical an impor in Eu with developments theories critical American Latin integrate postcolonial theory, studies, cultural andpo diverse of thinkersfrom approaches,a network including theology, liberation C tank first met in Caracas at an event firstor Caracas at an metin tank ( included collection). inthis book draft areChávez coup chapters the on and two in 2002 articles (two debate volume).the are inthis He also beganbook work proj anew on on book articles Tierney’s andPatrick of 2000 (two Amazon denunciatory the long- the anthropology.of cultural debate the largely out, Ashepointed overlooked schools andbiomedical of thought linedupagainst evolutionary sectors of coloniality. fifteenth the expansion from t of making the notantecedents.He andcapitalism, that their contended nity hierarchies and racial with their Aní rist leading EdgardoLander. voices theorist included Its initially Peruvian the mami mami and Venezuela inBrazil gists of views affected the andmarginalized Yano cerning Chagnon’s work inVenezuela andBrazil. aaaandat controversyUniversity inthe of the Michiganing con to he moder modernidad/colonialidad t rude rude he coloniality of power,”he coloniality proj imperial Iberian the argued that Coronil C Coronil participated in the Latin American modernity/coloniality group group modernity/coloniality American Latin inthe participated Coronil bal Quijano,bal Enrique Dussel, andWalter Mignolo. o ­M ronil helpedgroup’s linkthe develop challenge to decolonial think ­people. controversy, Inthis and felt disciplinary Coronil that , that sought to analyze the failed coup sought, that against failed analyze the atters to President Hugo ­st n world could Eu beunderstoodto onlyinrelation anding critiques of Chagnon’s proj 47 Understood “dark asthe side of modernity,” inMignolo’s ) from its founding meeting in 1998. This itinerate think think in1998.Thisitinerate founding meeting its ) from ­ cen tury on and to the continuing cultural logic continuing cultural the andto on tury ­la bor regimes,bor ­ga ­nized byt ­de ­pen ­lit i ­ ects s ­ects i ­cas cal ec ­cal ­wer ­dent v he Venezuelan theo social . Inessays occidental on ­ scienc 48 e constitutive of moder- ­tan et forth byanthropolo et forth onomy, who sought to He was asked join to 46 oice inaconflict po The group grew into into Thegroup grew t role in developing e” clash inwhich ­ ro pean imperi ­pean ­ro ­pean leg ­ ­ects ect, ­ect, al al al ------, ,

Introduction 33 ­ - - - o- ided ided and ­s esource, esource, ­ ral r sis as a micr ­sis y isolated from isolated y ­call enes promoters of enes promoters of ­i ­sc aph ­gr the- ­ ated their concepts of the body, theated their concepts of body, Given the dramatic Given of unfolding 52 ­ viol an past,an geo er issues of the politics of knowledge the knowledge politics of of er issues ymposium on the controversy through the on the through controversy ymposium ­hum 51 In an instantiation the of coloniality power, of dence ov ­dence 49 Initially, he was at odds with figures in odds with figures the Anthro he was at Initially, nized a s ­nized whom he initially worked, by presenting one- ­ ce 50 ­ga ad been viewed by some evolutionaryad scientists as if hange. Treated as an Amazonian natu Treated hange. e was a brief, failed coup against Hugo Chávez, followed Chávez, Hugo failede was a brief, against coup utpouring of support. of utpouring e likely to include certain U.S. officials and Venezuelan officials and certain to include e likely U.S. eloping on Cuba and undertook research on the and undertook events research on Cuba eloping ed return to power due to divisions in the opposition and toed return in the to due divisions opposition power ­under e overtly hostile to Chávez. Yet what had happened during had during what happened Yet e overtly hostile to Chávez. ther ­ ­tic c gers h ­gers ­wer ­lar o ­dent ­ne ­ wer icist icist ­t ce ­ oubling changes taking place in Venezuela confronted him with taking changes in Venezuela place oubling ­ne e representatives of the representativese of ­wer ­ect he was dev ­ect as tr onology of the 2002 coup and its aftermath. He envisioned a book of broad and its aftermath. a book coup onologyHe envisioned the of 2002 During this period, Coronil was suddenly drawn into this drawn During period, Coronil an event that was suddenly Coronil spent the next few years grappling with this increasingly complex complex with this theCoronil few increasingly next spent grappling years Coronil was alarmed administrationthat Michigan the of University iginal statement supporting Neel and Chagnon and issued a statement of and issued and Chagnon Neel supporting statement iginal uman ge r a massive popu a massive would be momentous for Venezuela’s history On for and his own work. be momentous for Venezuela’s would 2002, April 11–13, by his unpre pology Department fol administration. Michigan and the But of University quietly retracted Office the university’s the the Provost’s lowing symposium, o events and his own work on coups and presidentialism, Coronil dropped a and presidentialism, Coronil dropped events on coups and his own work proj surrounding the coup. It had mass mobilization in theoccurred of context the coup. surrounding ties had close which to many of the administration of groups, by opposition gov statements and of Bush by officials in the Bush, W. George President ernment that the coup, who who the coup, the coup, and why, was far from clear. and why, the coup, proj plannedstructure to first He his analy ever questions. deeper chr identify that would interest public the behind- support for scholarly debate. support for scholarly concerns had takenconcerns pre and the ethics research. of they their dna had materials, including unknowingly provided raw centers that was genealogicalU.S. information, for in scientificresearch tounrelated their health needs and that ­h they social and ge and death. illness, and the Anthropology Department had defended the immediately work and Dr. Chagnon of Michigan the of University prominent Neel, James anthrohistory program. Yanomami villa Yanomami arguments and ignoring scholarly discussion. In response, and with supportwith and response, In discussion. argumentsscholarly ignoring and from the or he Provost, 34 Introduction realigned questionsto oil on policy. Chávez arguedthat Some single-handedly had which apo move from the University of Michigan to a position as Presidential Pro University asPresidential of aposition move the Michigan to from strug interests relations, forces, in which and actors contending proj of state- ces tor’s links to the nation and to the global are obscured. the arena and to tor’s nation the links to income, organ while the ect. While ect. Rocke n lowing joint aseffectively reducing ventures.action this viewed They fuscation compelled him to redefine the proj compelledredefinethe himto fuscation accounts andlayers of ob beacoupmored to backer), contradictory the and the power officers includingevent, from all military figuressides the imprisoned of business figures. with followedYet ashe leadsand interviews conducted obtained an appointmentobtained inanthropology, found a stimulating network University of York New (cuny) in2008. around andrendered of through secrets narratives masking. iswoven that ahistory heasks sametime, construct At the can howone forces at work. analyze broaderstructural of andto disagreements) heated what happened over course the days of inApril 2002 afew subject (stillthe of secrecy, andknowledge. work Inthis heseeks reconstruct truth, bothto C the clashes consumed that on writings maneuverings andpersonality torial without any proposals sector. alternative from increasing Thepetro- of dramatically oil exports. ism ofTwenty- the his rhe volume).this oil- Whileextending fessor in the Anthropology Program at Program Gradu the Anthropology fessor inthe regime. followedthat coup, the the point saw event asaturning for Coronil the a tional sovereignty and denationalizing the oil industry (see “Oilpacity” in in (see “Oilpacity” oil industry the anddenationalizing sovereignty tional Cr Coronil developedCoronil G s, concept usesthe Coronil of “oilpacity” capture viscous the to quality iven the shifts in ivenoil policy, shifts the and Chávez’s structure, state discourse ude ude hávez presidency, debates on about focuses Coronil Nature andissues ­fe to ­ 53 ­societ l ­ler Cen ­M ric, Chávez, who then renamed the Bolivarian Revolutionric, Chávez,the renamed who then “Social During hisyear asaCisneros University’s Fellow at Harvard ­leg seeks addressatters to coup the asaconjuncture of multiscale ther ­ ­lit al relations with multinational oil companies byagain al withmultinational al relations i y relations wherebyy relations oil isvis ­call ­gled fo ­fu e heor ter in2004–2005,ter proj hebroadenedhisresearch this for l Venezuelan- Gustavo Cisneros(ru entrepreneur media y diverse set of petroleum industry experts responded experts y diverse set of petroleumindustry Firs ­ r control. Refusing conspira limitbook the the to ­ga thes ­ t ­iza ­Cen ­nized anis tion of state- tion e dimensions ofbook the proj tury,” country’s the tied had funded s ­funded (2008) for ReVista sue ofmagazine the ­ca pital relations shaping the oil sec oil the shaping relations pital There ­ ­i ­ble p ocial programs and radicalizing programsandradicalizing ocial 54 ­ect. Inhisdiscussion ofpro this ­ st , heandSkurski, who also rimarily asasourcerimarily of state ate’s scope intensified had ­at e Center of the City ofCity the e Center ­ects ­ fu ­ect fo , ideologies, and ture to the goal goal the to ture llowing his - ­ - - - - - ­ Introduction 35 ­ - - e ­ect y to ­thes ­ended under ­ e Center and ­at ­gled to find a wa larization, Coronil reflected on ture inform practice tures. His insights are especially especially His insights are tures. oclaimed anticapitalist state proj fu ­ ­fu ­ pr ­cal po se in these La coastal village Sabana. Photo by i ­lit hou ­ e draft chapters of Coronil’s unfinished work, we in work, unfinished chaptersof e draftCoronil’s thes ­ With the engaged orientation the engaged the With of Gradu 55 56 ould a vision of hope for hope the of a vision ould f Latin American and global ursuing his critique of U.S. imperialism and neoliberal capitalism. neoliberal and imperialism U.S. of his critique ursuing sis o ­sis y By including including By Resisting the pressures of po of the pressures Resisting vite readers into an ongoing engagement with his critical with his and open- engagement vite into readers an ongoing anal Marxists with cultural still tend preoccupied incommensurability, come to valuable at a moment when many theory when a moment currents at postcolonial of valuable be have Mariana Coronil. former from the students University and colleagues including scholars, of Michigan. of Looking at the sea from Looking at his Figure I.15. conditions? the possibilities and limitations in a neoliberal world for and limitations a certain world the possibilities in a neoliberal kind of revolutionary tradition strug He South. in the Global for a self- What options available are c ect? How the possibilities offered by working in New York (which Fernando called (which York New in working by offered the possibilities the only city a foreigner), he States in the feel like United he did not where anguished as he was even and flourished, his work expanded the of range crisis. coming of signs by Venezuela’s the tensions and contradictions proj engage the of Chávez rigorously p while 36 Introduction ga engagedsions that concepts at higher Thiscollection levels of abstraction. discus programmatic headdressedconcepts that to Magical inThe State subalternity, formations— and imperial anthrohistory, oilpacity, transculturation, Occidentalism, postcoloniality, essay writing. Hisinnovative issues pieces—on such aspo of tradition American Latin the within practitioner wasagifted Coronil renounced ofthe has naming task the theory regard world the through lens, critical ametropolitan andmetropolitan ers to considerers to volumethis to companion as a worthy power essays.derful However, pieces we the gathered feel that cies. to decisions difficult Aseditors, make exclude we to had some won about thinking into epistemological empire andits lega interventions his Fi showcases hiswork Venezuela, on Crude chapters from including two c of “anthrohistory.” called what Coronil practice the on tions Thesecond or tions this effort to un effort this engagementHis distinctive modeof of critical beunderstood can interms when hewrotein“The o ­nall ntains a series of critical essays on “Thinking from Latin Amer aseries essays of critical ntains Latin “Thinking on from thers togethersomeofthers hismost impor them. and a mainstream media numbs media mainstream produces Ifthe that it. sense make ofworldto the andofhistory the Evil must bechallenged byaccounts develop public’s that the capacity to a the reduction of politics deification; its Wefaced ongoingthe he mighton asreflecting dilemmas read Coronil of Critique,” “Labyrinths first, The pres cal dis cal have stimulated public debate but polarize have po to also tended ­Under le emotions have affected po haveemotions affected po stimulateunderstanding. block context of that Inthe heated than rather ­lit y, Empire,” Beyond Occidentalism, “Beyond third, the foregrounds ful bod ­ful i ­ga cal ­cal broad. . . . course, turning often useful simplifications into caricaturescourse,flat into simplifications useful often turning ­nized a ftist rulers, po ftist confrontations, this flattening flattening of and heightening this reason of confrontations, y of work that is greater than the sum of its parts. We sum parts. the ofy of its work than isgreater that regard ­ thes ­num ccording to thematic focus. ccording thematic to e two works each other. to inrelation e two ​The demoniz b the public, neither deifying leftist leaders nor reduc public,b the neitherdeifying ­Fu ture inQuestion”:ture ­lit i cal c ­cal ­lit ­ peop i cal ­cal ation of the Left cannot be of Left counteredation the by ontests over di ontests le, we needaccounts help that un- repre , and we Magical urgeThe State read- ran ­ ­sen ­tan ­ent ged from the development the ged of from t interventions into three sec three into t interventions ­ta s key reflections andinterven reflections s key ­fu ­tio ture itture desires. ba ­ f­f ns both in Latin Amer ns both in Latin er ttle between Good and Good between ttle ­ent vis ­ here c ions of society ofions society ­lit i cal f ­cal i ­ ­ca, ompose a ” which uturity, ­M ­ num . atters ­lit ­i ca ­ca i b ------­ Introduction 37 ------s ist ­ist sis ­sis ​ As- ture ­tal ­i her in ­fu ­ended r aims we r aims we ­whet ­gle fo [I]t is opennes ​ ay provide a valu ay is a pressing need pressing a is rary is scholarship 57 d a new “planetary esources, cap esources, ­tod pects of his work thatpects his work of tic and plurinational, d an alternative ­ral r There ­There ­tempo ­cra ­ towar towar ­ tainly be precarious. Those as Those ­ ntinue to strug tters, the public is numbed. The is numbed. thetters, public s without limit, “an open- limit, s without “an redicaments. Some of the most ur the Someredicaments. of most ma ­ ­ ces ­will cer ­ ​will co ent p ­ent he financial crisis of 2008; the worldwide worldwide 2008; the he financialof crisis ture is clear in his call for the “pursuit of of ture in his call for is clear the “pursuit fferentiationobtain, no longer ­ fu rary than ever. yond since Coronil’s passing. At a moment in At a moment passing. Coronil’s since yond aftert ­ ­cal di i le, who . . . le, ­lit imagination and utopian longing, mindfulimagination and utopian longing, that ­tempo d making sense of the of world. . . . d making sense ­cal ­peop i ­ca and be ­i ­lit ee ­towar ­ fr d authoritarian statism; and the upsurge of mass movements, d authoritarian mass movements, of statism; and the upsurge 58 cal and exciting intellectual in con ­cal and exciting work ­liti ve to be provisionalve and dialogical, demo atives, state sovereignty, and public welfare. welfare. public and state sovereignty, atives, ­towar ledge for a world that for can home worlds. . . . become to a world ledge multiple Coronil’s writings us path remind that any Coronil’s His insistence on an open on an open His insistence Conditions have worsened and possibilities have diminished for the diminished have possibilities and Conditionsworsened have ace oriented ace ture is in question. The way forward The way ture is in question. byrinth, its points departure arrivals are of and its new pose answers now rom a systemic perspective has never been more urgent. Given the has resur perspective never urgent. been more Given rom a systemic a now can barely imagine.” His critical practice uto was unapologetically imagine.” now can barely the on North the need for or the analy his insistence conjunctural South, f pian and grounded in the world. It was oriented in the world. pian grounded and knowledge forknowledge gence of neoliberal dogma neoliberal of gence Left in Latin Amer which the old axes of po of axes the old which gent po gent pursues its it that can be inhabits what recognition is, what Through ing. k nourished by po nourished an in such If intellectual a role align. is to play work means and ends must to on have be based would it undertaking, could, and Coronil it believed that critical thinkinghis insight is a pro questions.” might have seemed untimely in the seemed 1980s and 1990s have might framework forable examining pres confrontations around unfolding natu concerning imper that torefuse Marxian realign ways in critique of modes postcolonial and opposi Manichean resist and flattened dichotomies, avoid orthodoxies, by all manner crude of tions. Assaulted ­fu ­will ha sp exits entrances as a labyrinth whose become into an expanding sembled l move move Coronil’s both reactionary the order, existing against and progressive, more con appears work ing politics toing ahistorical confrontations between avoid Good Evil, “to and turn at least them into or meaningful dichotomies, flat distinctions” that of possibility of “conditions us better help understand might the specific facinghistorical [Latin change each American] nation.” to possibilities, it interprets as forms it becom was and is, of what to being, possibilities, 38 Introduction vision and the impossibility of foreseeing a radically alternative impossibilityofvision alternative andthe foreseeing aradically us make our wayen to imperative on the this tightropebetween stretched prospect of “living well.” Fernando Coronil’s andexamplemayhelp writings ser inthe life, nonhuman equality,social in based universality” Notes

14 10 12 15 13 11 4 6 8 9 2 7 5 3 1

escuela de medicina ‘José Vargas,’escuela demedicina María school: medical and helped Luque, found anexperimental see González “La t Anthrohistory,” “Pieces for Coronil, volume, this 55. Subsequent to citations tive transplant research, was elected to the Venezuelan research, the tive transplant to waselected Acad Co Co to this essay this to also give page volume. numbers this for Co Co Co Hall, “ThePr Co Co Co and her international activities,see Torres,and herinternational Lya Niños. For Lya adiscussion of institutions Ímber the helped founddirect or ofConsejo Venezolano deMédicos the andwasadirector Sociedad and the de 19 In the . For herpublications andofficialpositions, see http:// Medicine. she first wasthe Amo Co respected figure and facilitated his international connections. hisinternational facilitated respected figure and asathirty- position oil com for representative Colombia, anddiplomatic to Of their Of their for low-for founded the Ballet of Caracas. Of the two oftwo Ballet Caracas.Ofthe founded the the other,the asurgeon. As fo ­o his essay also give page volume. numbersthis for rg ronil, ronil, “The ronil, “The ronil, “The ronil, “The ronil, “The ronil, “The ronil, “The ronil served as Minister of Finance, of asMinister Senator, headof Congress,ronil served ambassador ​/ ­pers ng posts, many she wasavice president of unicef under of its Department of Experimental Surgery, of Experimental innova heundertook Department under of its ­inco ­sis 50s and’60sshe held directiveat positions the , xi. MagicalThe State onalidades ters, the eldestters, the school andfounder of wasaFrench atrade instructor me girls; another became a doctor; and the youn and the me girls; adoctor; another became ob ­Fu ­Fu ­Fu ­Fu ­Fu ­Fu ­Fu ­lem of I ­wo ture inQuestion,”ture volume, this 128–162. Subsequent citations ture inQuestion,”ture 153. ture inQuestion,”ture 132. ture inQuestion,”ture 154. ture inQuestion,”ture 154. ture inQuestion,”ture 158. ture inQuestion,”ture 158. ­thir man to be elected to Venezuela’s to beelected to man National Acad ​/ ­l ya d degree Freemason further cemented his standing asa cementedhisstanding d degree Freemason further deology.” ​_ ­im ­vice o ber ​_ f aworld of worlds, many nourished bythe ­c oronil ​. ­ hum ­as

” 1. ­br p. others, a became one an differences, and re Ímber de Coronil de Ímber ­ww ­pan (1972–74), andin1981 ­Childr w ​. ­fund y negotiations. His ­ emy o ­ges , 51–62, 77–88. en’s Hospital acionbengoa t, “la Nena,”t, ­la f Medicine, ­emy o wyer and wyer fu ­ ­spect f ture. f 59 - ​ or or - Introduction 39 - - - il ​ - d e ­ unt ajes ­vi ­ wer ​/ and ­towar ­en ​/ u ­c ​. se, a factse, he was ­hou tions: Cunning see e studies and univer and e studies lcastro tic Society in support ­iza ­cra ­fide ​. ­manc . r urveilled by the fbi ww le in Mexico and Puertole in Mexico Rico ­fo ­w ly s ­ly ­gle in their . Ímber n commentator, turning n commentator, ­peop d per ­ties ­sio ­vi ­towar ed and exclusionary. , 36–38.re ed socie enezuelan artistsenezuelan to the Central University ­He ­bas wyer, and prior leader of the Cuban Communist Communist and prior the leader of Cuban wyer, ­bas rigade was heavi rigade la ­ ass- , 316. ure ­cl ­Fut ­pean and V t intellectual figure in the Cuban government and one of and one government t intellectualCuban in figure the ­ro ­tan gles. The b ­gles. le in the arts during Coronil’s youth. His aunt Sofíaaunt His helped youth. le in the arts Coronil’s during 59. peop ­ ­19 ​- Mandarins of theMandarins ontext, Victor Turner moved moved ontext, Victor Turner vest reached 8.5 million tons. While it was the largest in history, it it in history, was the 8.5 million it largest tons. While reached vest cto de Punto Fijo” was a de facto agreement that excluded leftist leftist parties was a de facto that excluded cto agreement de Punto Fijo” rked with the Congress of Racial Equality of with the Congress rked registration in 1965 in on voter bor leader active in thebor leader active strug clandestine ounded an experimental an ounded arts magazine, and their home was a gather There’s Something Happening ­There’s guez, an economist and guez, an economist ­la ght, while Terence Turner undertook the study of Marx’s theory Marx’s undertook of the study Turner value of ght, Terence while an, u filled. wis, known forwis, his oral poor histories of r Castro’s itinerary and reception, see http:// unded in 1969 by members of Students of unded in 1969 by members for a Demo enezuela ul ­v / She wo Klux Klan. the town the Marianna, of Ku of a stronghold Florida, Gilm In this c Fo They f infiltrated by cointelpro, a secret counterintelligence program designed to designed program counterintelligence secret a infiltrated by cointelpro, disrupt New Left, militantblack and organ rights, civil from participating Over time, posts. this level democracy” cabinet “pacted in patronage- became increasingly The “Pa told never to mention. told the few the prerevolutionary had leaders who during been prominent period. The har skilled person refinery adequate of The lack was deemed a failure. capacity, Fo Rodrí Party, was an impor Party, of the Cuban Revolution, the group recruited volunteers of diverse racial and diverse of recruited the group volunteers Revolution, theof Cuban and international Cuban and learn to origins about do agricultural work class revolutionary strug politics with her second husband, Carlos Rangel. She founded the de She founded Museo Carlos Rangel. husband, politics with her second and directed it Arte Contemporáneo in 1974, opened which Sofía Ímber, her abruptlyname removed her and fired Chávez Hugo President when 2001, from the institution: La Gil, señora Arroyo see During his parents (1952–58), the Jiménez dictatorship Pérez Marcos of his parents that recalled he was a child when He positions. from public expelled hid a for place ing Le by was invited poverty,” of the “culture of and for concept his controversial Castro to based on in Havana undertake former of slums residents of a study the expectation revolution find had that socialist the transformed he would salizing humanism, changing his appointment to the his appointment changing humanism, Committeesalizing on Social Tho and its for relevance non- ham, and transportation cane cutters, nel, for the to goal be made impossible it f bring art works by Eu bring art works of Venezuela and became a leading tele and became a leading Venezuela of

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p inPowerlished Guerrillas The , andRené French noted Dumont, agronomist and joint their based on research. ThePolish-French journalist K. S. Karol pub materials co- and inJune 1970 andhiswife techniques, terminated when Lewis wasabruptly culture.their Lewis’s “Proj material available waswritten.) material in1978, article when the about assertions mistaken makes Afro- discussionfeminist offilm asa the work, see Rich, One WayAnother.”or (Rich giving a“happy viewers than rather end” resolution ofFor them. anuanced struggling withconflicts characters insistence radical full presenting and its on components andfictional innovative ofwork, its combination documentary for has belatedlyGómez’s has completedreceived it;film as the attention, body of un lution’s demands. Released in1977, it wasunfinishedtime Gómez’sof the at Fo Fo ment ofFrench the intelligent ing Castro’s of authors denunciation these growing andsignalingestrange- the der, religious, andpo place in1971. Itmarks abreakthrough inscholarship published inCuba. They They Gó e cal aresidence mainly po then for HavanaHilton), the Libre (formerly Habana As invi publications concerning case, El the see Casal, Caso Padilla. / . opposition. Rodríguez’sand that work their undoubtedly support for metwith strong had workingpresented black andprimarily “marginal” bourgeoisie. ofconflicted nor the andpeasantry, heroicthe proletariat They her exploration ofher exploration working her black middle- performing Contribution), see Alvarez Ramírez,Aporte Contribution), “El including Freemasons. the However, followers of Afro- This wasapr more severely limited than more severely than limited The film exp ­g ­ne r obierno oponent of citizen participation, publishedoponent of participation, citizen IsCuba in1970, Socialist? prompt- r anaccount of Padilla’s be rnet, t mez’s shortfilms, most of which xos ­au imely deathin1974, at thirty- xiles, most andfor of stayat their the ­la thor, Ruth Lewis, ​. tees of the Cuban government, they ofCuban the tees they government, ter learned that participant observation wasnot an accepted practice observation participant that learned ter ­c , documents the critical international and national events that took that events andnational international critical the El 71,documents om ​/ ­wer ­dis ​. ­mu ­mx lores the strained relationship strained oflores the a ob cursos e confiscated. Ruth Lewis posthumouslye confiscated. Lewis Ruth publishedthree volumes sic, andrecounting history. their Shealso placed herself and ​/ ­lem fo ­​? ­p ­cl ​= ass ­1166 ​/ ­19 ­lit r 71 ­famil i ­thos ­wer cal iden ­cal . o Csr’ sec, e http:// see speech, Castro’s For 4. ​/ ­es ­ect Cu ­ot e expelled from the country and their remaining remaining andtheir country e expelledthe from ­wo p e who took part in many religions inmany e whoandassociations, tookpart y ­ha ​/ hers. ­f3004 under the g ­under the ­si Mi Aporte Mi men involved sugar inthe harvest, v a. tifications conflicted at theheightrevo- at conflicted the of tifications ior andC ­ior ­one ba,” Cuban which inresearch trained students 71e ­wer , from asthma. Two asthma. , from filmmakers noted ​. ­h ­Cu e never shown,e never were neitherstories of m. o a olcin f ouet and documents of collection a For tml. aze ofaze herunwavering eye. On critical astro’s see http:// reaction, ­Ho ban religionsban reflectthe limited that ­wer tel Vedado.tel de Sara Gómez.” deSara e ­co ­hou uple whose class, race, gen ­peop sed in ­Cu le debating proj ­w ban practices practices ban ­hot ww els, first the at ​. ­c uba ​. ­ww ­c u ​ w ­ects ­wer ​ (My - ­lit e , - i ­ Introduction 41 ​ - - ​ - ­2 ​ ​- ­umich ​. ed ­R ­lib ​/ ​. ession ­s 705 ​/ ­9 ​/ ­quod ages ­p ongress ​/ onference, “States of “States of onference, ­c ​- rg bor unrest, race riots, bor riots, unrest, race h ­o ­la ​. en article “Reproducing en article “Reproducing ­65t ​/ ts social, discursive, and ts social, discursive, rank nized a c ­nized ­j ​. ­writt ter in the introduction come arge ­ga ­l ­la aw ​- ­l t ­a ​- ext. “Beyondpresented Coronil first lence in i ­lence ­t e Geoff Eley, Terence McDonald,Terence Eley, e Geoff ​= w ­wer tatutes ­vie ­s ​? ​/ lp xclusion clauses in an early version of the law, the law, of version in an early clauses xclusion entier state. ­he ​/ 011120 hrough a discussion of several coups in Venezuela, in Venezuela, several coups of a discussion hrough ­2 003 into several agencies within the within 003 into Department several agencies of ­cal e aw i ​- ­l he seminar ­nial r ​/ hl ­lit ­ca t ­lo d Postimperial Geohistorical Categories” as a Compara Categories” Geohistorical d Postimperial ­b ­i ov ​- nce. ­g ­co ​. h ­after 2 ­le ers of t ­ers of ontext, including anarchist attacks, attacks, ontext, anarchist including ­loc adical categories, see http:// ​. ­Towar f. uto Industry Circulation Policy and Petrodollar Venezu- in ­r ­umic ​/ nized ­nized hevism, in which thehevism, Immigration in which and amended Law was passed ­cal c ww lle,” Fernando’s aunt, “I hear your nephew is coming back to back nephew Ven is coming aunt, “I hear your Fernando’s lle,” ­pd i ​. ­ga ­w ­se ­cy: A ­lit ral is connected program to the Anthropology and History depart- ormerly an autonomous agency within the U.S. Department Jus- of agency within the autonomous an ormerly U.S. ml. For the po ml. For ­Bols tation uncited other and quotations ,” which led to an edited volume by the same name: Coronil see led to and an edited which volume ,” luded Ann Laura Stoler, Brinkley Messick, Nick Dirks, and E. Valentine and E. Valentine Dirks, Nick Brinkley Messick, Ann Lauraluded Stoler, hlead earch led to the publication of their of co- led toearch the publication , f ktail commented to ambassador Josefina, party the in Caracas, U.S. resentation elite and in officialprograms which the practices through h186 ­b ­ht ­moi ­den ​/ ​. ­b ng theng found zuelan state. The essay examined the disjunction between the state’s examined the between disjunction state.The essay zuelan the state’s ​/ ins ­rep ­de ­lence are u ronil’s “The Magical State: Magical “The History Ven of in the Appearance and Illusion ronil’s ­pen r the po r an innovative discussion of the debates and questions nourished by the nourished and questions theof debates discussion r an innovative plied toplied Latin Amer ven their interest in understanding their vio interest ven ene p ­Sc ­ed ­c65s2c At a coc “Ma / to include anti- see see https:// Fo and anti- - Fo Ronald Suny, and Sherry Ortner. For a list of papers, see https:// see and Sherry papers, of a list For Ortner. Suny, Ronald Occidentalism: They inc Daniels. doctoral. et al., Anthrohistory Murphy program in anthropology see and history, Amo . Co This res De This quo from Skurski’s recollection of the period. of recollection from Skurski’s The docto semi- core affiliatedfaculty, admissions, ments has its but own requirements, and meeting space. fellowships, student nar, understood as a neo as a understood StatesSkurski, of Vio self- Gi the journal of Grew, Raymond with the support of dimensions, colonial Studies in SocietyComparative History and , they or Vio in 1992. paper Social working of tive Study Transformations Venezuelan families with old wealth influenced policymultinationals families and influenced wealth with old Venezuelan a network connectionsestablished of with state and entrepreneurs. figures ela” (1982), which was an early effort was an early which to understand (1982), complexitythe of the ela” V Homeland Security. Homeland him to boy.” be a good Tell ezuela. Bonapartism October 1988) critiqued Democracy” as ezuelan paper, (working a The tice, was or

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gram. Skurski associategram. director wasits fication of extractivism, see Lander and Arconada Arconada Lander and “Venezuela.”Rodríguez, see of fication extractivism, http:// see cations, Escobar.Sanjinés, andArturo For of conferences achronology andlist of publi publications.many participants central its Among over course the offirst the de ofprogram who succeeded the director Coronil. ciplinary andGlobal South issues, joinedciplinary Gradu the worked closely. Gary Wilder, withwhom heshared interdis- adeepconcern for t At figures officials andmedia analyst Amer along withamainstream of Latin ? . Fo and t village Venezuelan leadersinthe discuss past the to research proj Amazon andTurner,Coronil inanunpre tookpart In aneff The gr ing events, Coronil was invited to pbs wasinvited to ing Coronil events, Most ofco- the information, see Skurski, “Past Warfare.”information, Yanomami obtain to biological ofexpeditions andkinship the materials history Fo exchange figures,informative amongcentral see Borofsky, Yanomami http:// at Hume, Dorado” controversy, website see the AnthroNiche, or Fo This arg and argued in defense of constitutional mechanisms of change.and arguedindefense of constitutional of Chávez’s foundations electoral the cited Coronil ofrejection hisrule, support Michel- Bef On him through acrippling oil com ( Maduro. intensi the For linkto crisis andits adiscussion ofconstitutional the p ect, The po turn turn for years. markedthe helpedthat country cement fierceevents the polarization ­ed pdvsa ­rg r statements by participants in the conference, inthe see https:// byparticipants r statements r adiscussion ofcontroversy at the University of the Michigan, including a r anarchive andsources of documents concerning “Darkness inEl the n April 12, with Chávez out of power and contradictory accounts ofunfold withChávez the outApril 12, of power andcontradictory u ore the coup,ore the employees oil com ofstate the he ​= ​/ ­towar heir current health needs.heir currenthealth ­j ublished critiques ofregime’s the heightenedoil de ­m ​/ oup metat Amer frequent conferences inLatin ­jii cuny Gradu ­lit ) had gone strike, on ) had and ­Ro ain;view ument converged with ort to to ort ​/ i ­4 cal t ­cal 750978 lph Trouillot, among d ecologically mining destructive heorist of Edgardo Lander, Chávez’s asupporter initially proj ­co ­edit ­an ​= unter this tendency, this unter force, membersincluding oftask the ​. ­f ­0009 ulltext. throniche ­w ors ofvolumeors the are gradu ­at ww e Center, included Katherine they Verdery, withwhom he ​. ­1 ​. 04 ­c eapedi ­wer ​/ ­​- ­​- ​. ­p ­ca ­c e claiming that Cháveze claiming that resigned had amidpopu om roduction ­thos de oftwenty- the ­pan ­ot after t ­after ​. ­c ​/ om hers. ­d y lockout andabusiness strike in2002. arkness e of the anthropologists Sidney Mintz and e ofanthropologists the Mintz Sidney

N ​. he coup opposition the almost toppled ­ar e wsHour ​/ ­ under Da ​- ­enc ­o ­ce f ​- ​- ­k ­dent ­in uentro2012 ­under Ch nowledge ­i to comment on the upheaval, comment the on to ​- ­pan ­at ca. Atamo ­ca. ­e l ­first es of the anthrohistory pro- es ofanthrohistory the ed meeting of Yanomamied meeting ​- vid W. Cohen,dedicated the ­do y Petróleos deVenezuela ­wer ­at rado ­cen ­i e Center soon e Center ávez’s successor Nicolás ­ga ca andt ­ca e Catherine Walsh,e Catherine Javier ​- ​/ ­indi ­enc tury andproduced tury ­nized byD ​- ­pen ment inwhich U.S. ­c nrvry Fr an For ontroversy. uentro genous dency andi ­dency ­quod he United States he United States ​. ​_ ­lib ​- ouglas W. ­3 ­peo ­after . ​. ­h ​. ­umich tm. ples ts ts . ­These ects ­ects ­ ​ ​ ­lar - - -

Introduction 43 ​

​ , . , and ­ca ­i ordpress quierda ­w ​. ­iz ​- rg. a ­l ­o ​- ​. uso ­n enezuela nce. Ann Arbor: University ­v ​- ­le ­de ​- 40, no. 2 (2002): 55–59. (2002): 40, no. 2 re: The New Left The New Klan re: , the is ­He edfilosoficadeluruguay ­cris ­r ​- une 2017, une 2017, http:// a ­J ­l ​- te ­an ​- de Sara Gómez.” In Afrocubanas: de Sara Gómez.” Historia ure: Modernization Theory in Cold War Amer War Modernization Theory in Cold ure: ander Journal of Journal deology: MarxismGuarantees.” without ­l ­Fut ​- . Caracas: Planeta Venezolana, . Caracas: Planeta Genio y figura Ímber: Venezolana, re’s Something Happening re’s gardo lem of I ­lem of ­The ­ed ​/ ture in Question,” 137. turein Question,” 1 ­0 tica. ­Fu ​/ ­cri ­04 ​- ​/ ­de ​- 017 ­2 ​/ . Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2011. Questioning Press, . Ann Michigan Arbor: of University Discipline , . Berkeley: University of California of University 2004. . Berkeley: Press, Counterintelligence ronil, “Pieces for Anthrohistory,” 56. forronil, “Pieces Anthrohistory,” ronil, “Pieces for Anthrohistory,” 53–54. forronil, “Pieces Anthrohistory,” ronil, “The ronil, “The arece om ­c ­c hown an unwillingness to engage in critical discussion of Chavismo, given given Chavismo, of in critical to discussion engage hown an unwillingness - Unsettling Knowl Anthrohistory: eds. Monica Skurski, Eileen Patterson, and Julie edge Nueva Sociedad, Nueva pólvora.” no. 269, May– . - 10, no. 2 (1986): 28–44. no. 2 10, Inquiry Communication , Uruguay del Filosófica April 1, 2017. https:// Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007. Press, University Hopkins Baltimore, MD: Johns venezolana Dermatología histórica.” introducción , ed. Daisy Rubiera Castillopensamiento y prácticas Inés María and , ed. Daisy culturales Rubiera Ciencias 324–32. Havana: 2011. Sociales, Martiatu Terry, 2016. California of University 2005. Berkeley: Press, 1971. 1997. Press, Chicago of University Chicago: 2006. Press, Michigan of fbi Co Co Co As Lander observes in an interview, anguish with the international Left has s the of the when crisis its its focus voice thus weakening on imperial attacks, la la de Venezuela crisis “Ante became Lander, glaring: see government Maduro de crítica.” carece izquierda

57 59 58 Murphy, Edward, David William Cohen, Chandra D. Bhimull, Fernando Coronil, Fernando Bhimull, Chandra D. Cohen, William Edward, David Murphy,

Lander, Edgardo, and Santiago Arconada Rodríguez. “Venezuela: Un barril de Un “Venezuela: and Santiago Arconada Edgardo, Rodríguez. Lander, Hall, Stuart. “The Prob Red de crítica.” carece la izquierda de Venezuela la crisis “Ante Edgardo. Lander,

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