Colloquium “Bolivia: Current Situation, Validity of the Socialist Project, and Perspectives”
The Institute of Political Economy (IEP) of the Open University of Recoleta (UAR), Chile, in conjunction with the Society of Political Economy and Critical Thought of Latin America (SEPLA), will hold a long-duration seminar on the “Relevance of Marxist Political Economy”.1 Its objective is to stimulate reflection and study around the core principles that underpin the Institute’s activities. To achieve this, a series of colloquia and other activities will be conducted, encompassing a wide range of topics, all of which contribute to framing the current debate in the field of critical political economy, with the goal of constructing a programmatic project for social transformation.
The first block and theme correspond to the international reality, the current relevance of the socialist project, and the prospects within the framework of global power dynamics. At this level, priority has been given to addressing the situation of at least three Latin American countries: Cuba and Venezuela (already covered), and Bolivia. Subsequently, the focus will shift towards the situations in China, Vietnam, Middle Eastern countries (Iran, Syria), Russia, and conclude with the Russia-Ukraine war and current geopolitics, and their consequences for the global socialist project. Other subsequent blocks and themes will address both general and specific theoretical aspects, practical considerations, and conclude with implications for the programmatic project in Chile and the necessity of international relations in this context.
Regarding Bolivia, the interest lies in gaining insights from some of its key experts and economic-political actors on the current economic, social, and political situation, the ongoing debates within the country regarding the validity and necessity of the socialist project, and its main practical and theoretical challenges. Additionally, the focus will be on the prospects in the political, economic, and geopolitical landscape.
The format will be a colloquium where a speaker will present for 45 to 60 minutes, followed by an interactive discussion involving a group of no more than 10 to 15 participants. The entire event will be conducted through the Zoom platform or similar, and will be livestreamed on social media platforms, allowing for interaction solely through written messages to facilitate the main debate. Afterwards, all activities will be published as videos on a publicly accessible channel for the purpose of dissemination and education. The overall duration of the event will be approximately 3 hours.
Speaker:
Gonzalo has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics (Universidad Mayor de San Andrés), Master’s degree in Environmental Assessment (Universidad Técnica Boliviana), PhD in Economics (Universidad -minera- Nacional de Siglo XX). Lecturer in Political Economy at the Public University of El Alto, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, and Universidad Indígena Boliviana Tupak Katari. Member of the Bolivian Network of Political Economy and the Latin American Political Economy Society. Independent journalist, member of Indymedia Bolivia (2001-2004). Writes for national and international media. Specialized in critical political economy and community economics.
Date: Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Time: 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM (Chilean time)
Live-stream on Social Media: Universidad Abierta de Recoleta and SEPLA.
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