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The Democracy Development Machine The Democracy Development Machine The Democracy Development Machine Neoliberalism, Radical Pessimism, and Authoritarian Populism in Mayan Guatemala Nicholas Copeland Cornell University Press Ithaca and London Publication of this open monograph was the result of Virginia Tech’s participation in TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem), a collaboration of the Association of American Universities, the Association of University Presses, and the Association of Research Libraries. TOME aims to expand the reach of long-form humanities and social science scholarship including digital scholarship. Additionally, the program looks to ensure the sustainability of university press monograph publishing by supporting the highest quality scholarship and promoting a new ecology of scholarly publishing in which authors’ institutions bear the publication costs. Funding from Virginia Tech made it possible to open this publication to the world. www.openmonographs.org Copyright © 2019 by Cornell University The text of this book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License:https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. To use this book, or parts of this book, in any way not covered by the license, please contact Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850. Visit our website at cornellpress.cornell.edu. First published 2019 by Cornell University Press Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Copeland, Nicholas, author. Title: The democracy development machine : neoliberalism, radical pessimism, and authoritarian populism in Mayan Guatemala / Nicholas Copeland. Description: Ithaca [New York] : Cornell University Press, 2019. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2018045106 (print) | LCCN 2018046018 (ebook) | ISBN 9781501736070 (pdf) | ISBN 9781501736087 (epub/mobi) | ISBN 9781501736056 | ISBN 9781501736056 (cloth ; alk. paper) | ISBN 9781501736063 (pbk. ; alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Mayas—Guatemala—Politics and government. | Mayas—Guatemala—Government relations. | Guatemala—Politics and government—1985– | Guatemala—Economic conditions— 1985– | Democracy—Guatemala. Classification: LCC F1435.3.P7 (ebook) | LCC F1435.3.P7 C67 2019 (print) | DDC 972.81—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018045106 Cover photo: Downtown San Pedro Necta, July 2011. Photo by author For Mildred Copeland Contents Acknowledgments ix List of Abbreviations xv Introduction: A Transition to Misery 1 1. “They Committed No Crime”: Developing Democratic Memories 25 2. Nos Falta Capacidad: Training Enterprising Selves 55 3. The Capacity for Democracy: Transforming Democratic Imaginaries 84 4. Radical Pessimism: Neoliberal Democratic Atmosphere 109 5. Parties and Projects: Democratizing Sovereign Violence 137 viii Contents 6. Cruel Populism: Mutilating the People 166 Conclusion: Reorienting Democracy 193 Notes 217 Works Cited 233 Index 249 Acknowledgments It is a miracle that this book was ever written, and the fact that it was is a result of tremendous debts. My decision to do research in Guate- mala was heavily influenced by the enthusiasm of colleagues at the Univer- sity of Texas at Austin, especially Irma Alicia Velázquez-Nimatuj, Ramón Ponciano Gonzales, Ven de la Cruz, and Ajb’ee Jimenez. Thank you for your patience and generosity over the years. UT Austin presented a truly unique and wonderful place and time to study political anthropology in Latin America and the borderlands. I am fortunate to have met and shared ideas with an unusually large number of committed scholars and activ- ists: Mark Anderson, Melissa Biggs, Ronda Brulotte, Vania Cardoso, Ben Chappell, Emiliana Cruz, Richard Flores, Melissa Forbis, Jen Goett, Pablo Gonzalez, Ted Gordon, Pete Haney, Scott Head, Keisha Khan-Perry, Cale Layton, Liz Lilliott, Chris Loperena, Korinta Maldonado, Mariana Mora, Courtney Morris, Vivian Newdick, Brandt Peterson, Nadjah Ríos, Gil- berto Rosas, Apen Ruíz, Lynn Selby, Dan Sharp, Fernanda Soto, Shannon Speed, Angela Stuesse, Heather Teague, Mike Trujillo, and Jackie Zahn. It x Acknowledgments will always be humbling to be among this generation of luminaries. Teresa Velasquez has been a constant collaborator whose combination of com- mitment, brilliance, and sense of humor is without equal. I am also thank- ful to the staff of the Benson Latin American Collection, who curate the many treasures stored there. Notable among the many other dear and talented individuals I was privileged to meet at Texas were Can Aciksoz, Mohan Ambikaipaker, Matt Archer, Whitney Battle, Jamie Brandon, James Brow, Beth Bruinsma, Peggy Brunache, Jenny Carlson, Galeet Dardashti, Adriana Dingman, Bob and B. J. Fernea, Kaushik Ghosh, Dan Gilman, John Hartigan Jr., Deborah Kapchan, Jennifer Karson, Ward Keeler, Ritu Khanduri, Mathangi Krish- namurthy, Ozlem Okur, Hisyar Ozsoy, Alisa Perkins, Leighton Peterson, Jemima Pierre, Jacqueline Polvora, Junaid Rana, John Schaefer, Ruken Sengul, Nathan Tabor, Leela Tanikella, Francis Terry, Faedah Totah, Linta Vargese, Maria Velásquez, Kamala Visweswaran, Scott Webel, Anthony Webster, Mark Westmoreland, and Casey Williamson. I am especially grateful to Nell Barker, Leah Ferguson, Celeste Henery, Ken MacLeish, Shaka McGlotten, Diya Mehra, Joel Page, Rachael Pomerantz, Nadjah Ríos, Ken Rubin, Liz Smith, Raja Swamy, and Halide Velioğlu for helping me keep life and school in perspective. And it is hard to imagine a kinder and more thoughtful person than Mubbashir Rizvi. I was fortunate to receive sage advice from Charlie Hale, Katie Stewart, Kamran Asdar Ali, Virginia Garrard, and Polly Strong. Begoña Aretxaga was a truly formida- ble mind and mentor whose intensity will be forever missed. Ron Greene and Mel Tapper shaped my thinking in a thousand ways. I was blessed to have had a large group of nonanthropologist but equally brilliant friends over several iterations of Austin life, including Billy O’Leary, Natalie Vallot, Darren Jones, Tamara Goheen, Jacob Childress, Chris McNett, Anne Merrill, and Karla Steffen, many of whom happened to later staff the anthropology department. I was in a vibrant intellectual world inhabited by Stapp Beeton, Dave Breshears, Jon Brody, Chris Burk, Nikheel Dhekne, Eric Emerson, Jeni Emerson, Blake Eno, Michelle Gajda, Ryan Goodman, Penelope Gonzalez-Marks, Derek Jenks, Yuri Kostun, Kevin Kuswa, Brian McBride, Georgette Oden, Megan O’Neil, Joel Page, Jay Reed, Judd Renken, Joel Rollins, Bill and Kim Shanahan, Kate Shus- ter, Stephen Stetson, Sammi Whitmire, and Dave Wyrick. They set me on a path of ethical and political development that led me to anthropology. Acknowledgments xi I had encountered Brian Ragsdale, Orion Auld, Chris Carty, Seth Ulrich, and Andy Graan even earlier. My family—Marian, Bud, Mildred, Bill, Scott, and Catherine—is a truly eclectic group and has been a constant source of support and perspec- tive over the years, including offering some suggestions with which I com- pletely disagree. The Jimenez family—Blanca, Mary, Fabi, Luis, Romelia, José, Miguel, Julio, Victor, Eva, German, and Marvin—welcomed me into their lives in San Sebastián, taught me many things, and showed me the true meaning of hospitality. My compas from Asociación Ceiba were Luisa Morales, Erick Monroy, Pepe Maldonado, Anna Maria Ramos, Alfonso Morales, Chepe Díaz, Chepe Ros, Elías Raymundo, Marina Domingo, Candelaria Gabriel, Fabiana Ortíz, Carolina Floren, Tom Fey- aerts, and Francisca Velasquez. Without the guidance of the indomitable Isabel Sáenz, whose work for women’s rights knows no limits, I would have never gotten very far. The team at the Centro de Estudios y Docu- mentación de la Frontera Noroeste de Guatemala (CEDFOG) provided a tremendous resource. It is a true loss for the region that their doors have closed. Pedro Camajà and Aníbal Salazar from FUNDEBASE have been central to my current understanding and research. Anthropologists working in Guatemala and Central America are a model for dedication and intellectual generosity, among them Santiago Bastos, Jennifer Burrell, Manuela Camus, Ted Fischer, Liza Grandia, Carlota McAllister, Ellen Moodie, Diane Nelson, Debra Rodman, and Finn Stepputat. The following kind and wise individuals read and com- mented on parts of the manuscript: Abigail Adams, Aaron Ansell, Ted Fischer, Carol Greenhouse, Akhil Gupta, Matt Heaton, Eric Jenkins, Stu- art Kirsch, Christine Labuski, Chad Lavin, Tania Li, David Nugent, Peter Potter, Barbara Ellen Smith, Steve Striffler, and Janell Watson, along with several anonymous reviewers. All errors are mine alone. My time at Arkansas was graced with many superb colleagues and friends, especially Rob Brubaker, Jesse Casana, Lisa Corrigan, Kirstin Erickson, Stuart Fulbright, Troy Gittings, Andy Horowitz, Hamsa and Moshe Newmark, Kelly O’Callaghan, Karon Reese, Laurent Sacharoff, Kathryn Sloan, and Sergio Villalobos-Ruminott. Brittany Philips and Erin Von Feldt were my family. Ted Swedenburg is a dear friend, wise mentor, and devotee of international pop culture who will absolutely not relent. Steve Striffler is a giant whose shoes at Arkansas I could never fill. The xii Acknowledgments members of the Workers’ Justice Center in Springdale have my full respect. I was lucky to have known and taught the banjo-playing, bike-riding, antiwar veteran hillbilly Jacob George. Rest in power. I am fortunate to be an anthropologist in Virginia Tech’s remarkably eclectic Department of Sociology and to have so many wonderful
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