http://www.mcentellas.com/ a blog about life, politics, and more (since 2002) en Copyright 2010 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:16:24 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Ari (who teaches political theory at UN-Lincoln). But let me focus here on the teaching conference.]]> http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2010/02/reflections_on_apsatlc.html http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2010/02/reflections_on_apsatlc.html Academia Personal Teaching APSA-TLC political science teaching Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:16:24 -0500 yatiris (priests). This year, Evo was proclaimed the “spiritual leader” of Bolivia’s indigenous people. I wonder when we’ll see an ethnography or sociocultural study of how indigenous political ceremonies have been recreated in contemporary Bolivia? Once things settle down after the end of next week, I hope to start doing some preliminary analysis of the candidates for April’s regional & local elections. Those elections will set the tone for the future direction of Bolivia’s state.]]> http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2010/01/evos_second_innauguration.html http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2010/01/evos_second_innauguration.html Bolivia Personal Bolivia Evo Morales politics Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:40:58 -0500 much better one. But then I also forget to look at her pictures (and she forgets to whip it out, too!). Yes, that probably makes us bad parents. ]]> http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2010/01/vacation_over_back_to_work.html http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2010/01/vacation_over_back_to_work.html Oxford/Ole Miss Personal Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:59:24 -0500 Time again for my end-of-the-semester book recommendations! I try to make a short list of “fun” books to read at the end of every semester, which I send out to my current students. I post it here for former students & anyone else interested. I also welcome additional suggestions. http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/12/winter_2009_book_recommendations.html http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/12/winter_2009_book_recommendations.html Books Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:08:06 -0500 Leftovers: Tales of the Latin American Left. The short essay questions are based on three of the several articles they read. Long Essay I will select one of the following questions for you to answer. Aim for about 4-5 substantial paragraphs. 1. Originally (in his book before Leftovers), Castañeda suggested that there were two lefts in Latin America: a “responsible” (or “social-democratic”) and a “populist” left. Describe their differences, citing one example of each in your discussion. Be sure you spend equal time explaining what unites both figures (why they're both “leftists”) as well as what divides them (why one is “social democrat” and the other a “populist”). 2. Some of the authors in Leftovers disagree with Castañeda, arguing that it is too simplistic to divide Latin America into a “good” and a “bad” left. Elaborate on this critique (one Castañeda himself now shares) by citing two chapters in the book. In your answer, be sure you do two things: 1) explain how a particular case doesn't fit Castañeda's original dichotomy and 2) outline the alternate dimensions or concepts that should be included in a typology of the left in Latin America. Short Essay I will select two of the following questions for you to answer. Aim for about 2-3 paragraphs per essay. 1. Roberts (“Latin America's Populist Revival”) attempts to define “populism” in ways that both complement and challenge Castañeda's discussion. How does Roberts define populism? And why does he criticize Castañeda? 2. Based on what you know after reading Latell (“Confronting Fidel's Legacy”), where does Cuba fit in Castañeda's model? [This is an “opinion” short essay. I am looking for a well-supported argument, not a “correct” answer.] 3. Barr (“Bolivia: Another Uncompleted Revolution”) discusses several factors that contributed to the election of Evo Morales. In what ways was Morales's rise “typical” to other cases we've studied this semester? What is the “uncompleted revolution” Barr writes about? In addition to these essay questions, they'll have five vocabulary terms, as well as be able to correctly match 10 heads of state (I give them the names) w/ their corresponding country.]]> http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/12/latin_american_politics_exam.html http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/12/latin_american_politics_exam.html Academia Latin America Oxford/Ole Miss Teaching comparative politics exam Latin American studies political science Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:33:44 -0500 Official results aren't out yet. But here's what we know so far about yesterday's election in Bolivia: Evo Morales won (as expected), and by about the margin predicted in polls (I explain below). MAS also won majorities in both legislative chambers, but only managed a 2/3 supermajority (so far) in the upper chamber. The autonomy referendums were a smashing success, winning massively almost entirely across the board (reversing the 2005). But for all the celebration, there are some cautionary signs for MAS. Similarly, the opposition did poorly, but not nearly as poorly as many thought or predicted. I'll try to break it down below. http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/12/bolivias_election_a_quick_postmortem.html http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/12/bolivias_election_a_quick_postmortem.html Bolivia Bolivia elections Evo Morales politics regional autonomy regionalism Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:20:59 -0500 La Razón has a nice breakdown of options this election. In some ways, this will be the most complicated Bolivian election to date Yet—for most voters—it will be little different from their 2005 vote.]]> http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/12/preelection_analysis.html http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/12/preelection_analysis.html Bolivia Bolivia elections electoral systems Evo Morales politics Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:32:08 -0500 ]]> http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/12/bolivian_presidential_election_polls.html http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/12/bolivian_presidential_election_polls.html Bolivia Bolivia elections Evo Morales politics presidential candidates Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:52:48 -0500 POL 102. Introduction to Comparative Politics • INST 314. Heroes & Villains: Populism in Latin America • LIBA 102. Travel as a Method of Inquiry I’ve also updated my cv, in case anyone’s interested.]]> http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/12/in_other_news_ive_finally.html http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/12/in_other_news_ive_finally.html Academia Oxford/Ole Miss Personal Teaching inst314 liba102 pol102 political science syllabus teaching University of Mississippi Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:43:33 -0500 It’s been more than a month since my last update. Wow. Partly, a lot of my short, running commentary has now moved almost entirely to Twitter. But I’ve also just been keeping my head down working on a number of projects. I’ll try to remember to set some time aside for more posts, both personal & otherwise. http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/12/bolivias_boorish_election.html http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/12/bolivias_boorish_election.html Bolivia Latin America Bolivia elections Evo Morales Honduras politics presidential candidates Uruguay Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:36:26 -0500 new Ipsos poll in today’s La Razón. All the polls make clear that Evo is almost certainly going to win reelection. The only question is whether he will increase his vote share (his “popular mandate”) from 2005 & whether MAS will be able to gain control of the Bolivian Senate (opposition parties currently hold a two-seat advantage).]]> http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/10/bolivia_preelectoral_update.html http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/10/bolivia_preelectoral_update.html Bolivia Bolivia elections Evo Morales Latin America politics presidential candidates Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:52:10 -0500 The weeks are quickly ticking by, and I’ve been focusing mostly on my teaching workload, though trying to transition myself to get some more research, writing, and editing time. Javi’s fever last night meant I lost most of today, though I think I managed to hold some solid ground (K8 let me work this morning; I took him in the afternoon, which is mostly nap time). http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/10/catching_up_on_tuesday.html http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/10/catching_up_on_tuesday.html Latin America Oxford/Ole Miss Teaching Alvaro Garcia Linera book review Latin America politics teaching University of Mississippi Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:46:56 -0500 ). But the combination of a hectic teaching/research schedule (some of that’s now relieved) & an upcoming personal revelation (we are pregnant again!) limited my time. Also, not much was really happening. Bolivian elections often resemble Bravo reality shows (and not quality ones like Top Chef, more the Real Housewives variety). So a lot of drama, w/o much substance.]]> http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/10/bolivia_election_update.html http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/10/bolivia_election_update.html Bolivia Bolivia elections Evo Morales presidential candidates Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:28:07 -0500 new Mori poll just came out today in El Deber. The poll’s interesting, even if it doesn’t tell us much about voter intent (it was a poll asking respondents to rate tickets on a good/regular/bad three-point scale).]]> http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/09/party_ticket_likeability_polls_in_bolivia.html http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/09/party_ticket_likeability_polls_in_bolivia.html Bolivia Bolivia elections Evo Morales Manfred Reyes Villa poll presidential candidates Samuel Doria Medina Sun, 13 Sep 2009 09:38:55 -0500 The Latin American Advisor, which has a regular Q&A feature. This week’s question was: “Is Bolivia’s President Evo Morale a Shoo-In for Re-Election?” You can read the issue here.]]> http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/09/comments_in_interamerican_dialogue_newsletter.html http://www.mcentellas.com/archives/2009/09/comments_in_interamerican_dialogue_newsletter.html Bolivia Bolivia elections Evo Morales Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:25:50 -0500