Grassroots Democracy and Environmental Citizenship in Tigre, Argentina Item Type text; Electronic Thesis Authors Helmus, Andrea Marie Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 08/10/2021 08:16:19 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/193397 1 GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CITIZENSHIP IN TIGRE, ARGENTINA by Andrea M. Helmus Copyright © Andrea Helmus 2009 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2009 2 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgement of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: Andrea M. Helmus APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: _________________________________ ___May 7, 2009 ___ William H. Beezley Date Professor of History 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you, Jason, for all of your support and encouragement over the last two years. I love you and couldn’t have done it without you. I also want to thank the members of my thesis committee, Dr. William Beezley, Dr. Sarah Moore, and Dr. Elizabeth Oglesby for their support and assistance throughout this project. Thank you, Dr. Beezley, for your judicious editing, helpful comments, and for challenging me to write clearly and well. Thank you, Dr. Oglesby and Dr. Moore, for your thought-provoking questions and helpful feedback. I would also like to acknowledge the Latin American Studies Department, for providing support for Master’s students. I am grateful to have had the chance to be a part of a dynamic, interdisciplinary department and pursue my research interests with the support of intelligent and compassionate scholars. I am also thankful for the funding I received from the Tinker Foundation to conduct field research during the summer of 2008. Last, but by no means least, I would like to thank my family for always believing in me and encouraging me. 4 DEDICATION For the asambleístas : Thank you so very much for sharing your stories and your time with me. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................7 LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................................8 ABSTRACT .........................................................................................................................9 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................10 I. Principal Argument.....................................................................................................12 II. Analytical Framework ...............................................................................................14 Neoliberal Origins .....................................................................................................16 Neoliberalism and Nature ..........................................................................................18 Neoliberalism and the Political .................................................................................23 III. Research Methodology ............................................................................................27 IV. Chapter Outline ........................................................................................................28 CHAPTER 2: THE POLITICS OF NEOLIBERALISM (1976-2001) AND THE RISE OF ASAMBLEAS .............................................................................................................31 I. The Military Dictatorship (1976-1983) ......................................................................31 II. The Menem Years (1989-1999) ................................................................................35 III. The 2001 Crisis ........................................................................................................40 2001 and the Asambleas ............................................................................................43 IV. An Asamblea Member Explains the Crisis of Neoliberalism in Tigre and its Environmental Consequences ..................................................................................48 CHAPTER 3: A NEW DEMOCRACY: “ALL OF US HAVE TO BE EQUAL” ............57 I. The Cosmetic Democracy of the Tigre Municipal Government ................................58 “Un Tipo de ‘Fashion’”: Sergio Massa, the Museo de Arte, and Brand Tigre ........58 Making Room for Howard Johnson ...........................................................................62 Trash vs. Contamination ............................................................................................66 II. The Asamblea’s Participatory Democracy ................................................................73 Public Meetings in Public Spaces ..............................................................................74 Horizontal Organization and Direct Democracy ......................................................76 Collective Decision-Making .......................................................................................78 Emphasis on Equality ................................................................................................79 III. Conclusion ...............................................................................................................80 CHAPTER 4: A NEW ENVIRONMENTAL CITIZENSHIP ..........................................83 I. Background: Economic and Social Inequality in Tigre ..............................................85 II. Colony Park’s Construction of Nature ......................................................................88 Environmental Conflict: A Trip to Colony Park with the Asamblea .........................91 III. The Environmental Imaginary of the Asamblea ......................................................93 Environmental Functions of the Delta .......................................................................94 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS—continued Historical Value and Collective Memory of the Delta ...............................................99 IV. Citizenship, Delta Identity and Way of Life ..........................................................102 The Community’s Right to and Responsibility for a Healthy Environment .............104 An Un-Bounded Citizenship .....................................................................................110 V. Conclusion: Against the Commodification of Citizenship .....................................114 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS ....................................................117 APPENDIX A: VOICES OF THE ASAMBLEA ...........................................................129 APPENDIX B: HUMAN SUBJECTS DOCUMENTATION .........................................137 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................138 7 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 Map of Argentina .............................................................................................13 Figure 2.1 Map of Delta .....................................................................................................48 Figure 3.1 Aerial Photo of Tigre Delta and Alleviation Canal ..........................................68 Figure 3.2 Flood-control Dike at Alleviation Canal ..........................................................69 8 LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Middle Class Mobility and Neoliberalism .........................................................38 Table 2.2 Economic Indicators for Buenos Aires Residents (1974-2004) ........................39 9 ABSTRACT Alarmed by contamination provoked by a terrible flood, residents from the river delta city of Tigre, Argentina formed an environmental asamblea—a horizontally organized neighborhood action group to address environmental stress from water contamination and unchecked development. The decision to form an asamblea reflects a larger trend in political participation underway since Argentina’s 2001 crisis. In 2001, widespread discontent with neoliberalism provoked many to participate in asambleas, since asambleas use direct democracy to collectively make decisions. This format reflected the peoples’ disillusionment with representative democracy, authoritarian politics, and traditional channels of participation. Years later in Tigre, the asamblea has been an effective means to formulate a new vision of participatory democracy, and a citizenship that includes the environment as a right and responsibility. The actions and ideas of the asamblea have challenged neoliberal hegemony in the community, demonstrating the promise of grassroots alternatives in weakening dominant paradigms. 10 CHAPTER