Veronica Zubillaga | Universidad Simón Bolívar (original) (raw)
Books by Veronica Zubillaga
Revista M. Estudos sobre a morte, os mortos e o morrer. DOSSIÊ MORTE, REGIMES POLÍTICOS E VIOLÊNCIA, 2018
Este ensayo, basado en dos investigaciones cualitativas en curso, plantea que para comprender el ... more Este ensayo, basado en dos investigaciones cualitativas en curso, plantea que para comprender el aumento reciente de las muertes violentas en Venezuela y específicamente en Caracas en el período post Chávez, tenemos que colocar en el centro del análisis los discursos y las prácticas de un actor privilegiado como lo es el Estado, en un contexto de colapso de los precios petroleros. Se propone que esta inusitada violencia letal puede ser comprendida por el impacto que ha ocasionado, dentro del histórico proceso de militarización de la seguridad ciudadana, un punitivismo carcelario que con el pasar de los años ha venido abriendo el paso y yuxtaponiéndose a una práctica de matanza sistemática extralegal implicada en la extrema violencia policial y militar de operativos militarizados focalizados en los sectores pobres. Esta avanzada militar, se puede decir, forma parte del avance de una necropolítica en el país en tiempos de Revolución Bolivariana post-Chavista.
Palabras Clave: Militarización de la seguridad ciudadana – Punitivismo carcelario – Matanza sistemática extralegal
ABSTRACT This essay, based on two qualitative studies still in progress, suggests that in order to understand the recent increase in violent deaths in Venezuela, specifically in Caracas, in the post-Chávez period we must place at the center of our analysis the discourses and practices of an extremely privileged actor, the state, in the context of the collapse of oil prices. Propose that this lethal violence, previously unheard of in the country, can be understood within the historical process of militarization of citizen security. As the outcome of a carceral punitivism that with the passing of the years has begun clearing a path and juxtaposing itself to the practice of systematic extralegal slaughter seen in extreme police and military violence in focused military raids in poor sectors. This military advance forms part of the advance of necropolitics in the country in the time of the Post-Chávez Bolivarian Revolution.
This book is a collection of studies of drug policies in several Latin American countries. The ch... more This book is a collection of studies of drug policies in several Latin American countries. The chapters analyze the specific histories of drug policies in each country, as well as related phenomena and case studies throughout the region. It presents conceptual reflections on the origins of prohibition and the “War on Drugs,” including the topic of human rights and cognitive freedom. Further, the collection reflects on the pioneering role of some Latin American countries in changing paradigms of international drug policy. Each case study provides an analysis of where each state is now in terms of policy reform within the context of its history and current socio-political circumstances. Concurrently, local movements, initiatives, and backlash against the reformist debate within the hemisphere are examined. The recent changes regarding the regulation of marijuana in the United States and their possible impact on Latin America are also addressed. This work is an important, up-to-date and well-researched reference for all who are interested in drug policy from a Latin American perspective.
Papers by Veronica Zubillaga
Latin American Research Review, Dec 10, 2023
Bristol University Press eBooks, Aug 31, 2018
Editorial Universidad del Rosario eBooks, Nov 30, 2021
Revista mexicana de sociología, Jun 1, 2003
Oxford University Press eBooks, Apr 6, 2015
Political Geography, Oct 1, 2020
In 2015, Caracas, Venezuela, had a homicide rate of 75 per 100,000 inhabitants, which made it one... more In 2015, Caracas, Venezuela, had a homicide rate of 75 per 100,000 inhabitants, which made it one of the most violent cities in the world that year. Despite these high rates of violence, the international community knows relatively little about the dynamics underlying conflict in the city. Through a systematic comparison of three poor and working-class neighborhoods in the Caracas metropolitan area, this article analyzes the factors that have driven these remarkably high rates of violence, as well as those factors that have configured the heterogeneous violent conditions that operate across the city. Building on extensive interviews in these neighborhoods, we argue that the levels of violence in particular locales derive from the ways in which the Bolivarian political regime failed in its efforts to incorporate the poor and working-class inhabitants of different parts of the metropolitan area into the political, social, and economic systems that dominate the country today. We also argue that variation in violence results from the way in which certain neighborhoods are geographically inserted into local illicit economies and the political and social dynamics of an increasingly violent and unstable political system. In January 2019, Caracas erupted in protests after National Assembly leader Juan Guaid� o challenged Nicol� as Maduro's claim to the presidency. These rallies, as has occurred over the years, left scores dead and hundreds injured. While the international community focused on the demonstrations and the economic crisis that led millions to emigrate, relatively little attention has been paid to the problem of violence. In 2016, Venezuela's Attorney General reported that violence led nationally to 70 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, leaving 21,752 dead with police accounting for 4,667 of those killings. 1 The violence affecting Venezuela and Caracas, with 75 homicides per 100,000 in 2015, 2 is part of the wider crisis affecting the Bolivarian Revolution but also reflects Venezuela's place in a region with exceptional criminal violence. Despite global condemnation of state abuses, the dramatic violence Venezuela suffers at the hands of state forces and illicit actors is reminiscent of the violence that underlies public life in Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Jamaica, and Central America. Simply replacing the Maduro government with a putatively liberal democratic one will not address the perilous violence Venezuelans face. This article, which focuses on three impoverished neighborhoods, argues that the violence affecting Caracas is historically grounded in these neighborhoods' geographically specific experiences and how they evolved within Venezuela's wider political system prior to and during the Bolivarian regime. 3 We emphasize the importance of urban geography in understanding crime and argue that the location of these neighborhoods connects each community to particular economic, social, and political contexts that shape the violence that occurs in those neighborhoods. These experiences of violence point to complex dynamics through which the government engages with social actors to undertake repression and sheds light on political practices in a region riven by social and criminal violence. As such, they point to lessons for scholars of a region where countries such
Nacla Report On The Americas, Jan 2, 2022
The Policy Press eBooks, Jun 22, 2012
The Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame has built an inte... more The Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame has built an international reputation by bringing the best of interdisciplinary scholarly inquiry to bear on democratization, human development, and other research themes relevant to contemporary societies around the world. Together, more than 100 faculty and visiting fellows as well as both graduate and undergraduate students make up the Kellogg community of scholars. Founded in 1982, the Institute promotes research, provides students with exceptional educational opportunities, and builds linkages across campus and around the world. The Kellogg Working Paper Series: n Shares work-in-progress in a timely way before final publication in scholarly books and journals n Includes peer-reviewed papers by visiting and faculty fellows of the Institute n Includes a Web database of texts and abstracts in English and Spanish or Portuguese n Is indexed chronologically, by region and by research theme, and by author n Most full manuscripts downloadable from kellogg.nd.edu
Violence: An International Journal, Apr 1, 2021
Since 2017, state security forces in Venezuela have been responsible for over 20% of violent deat... more Since 2017, state security forces in Venezuela have been responsible for over 20% of violent deaths in the country. This represents an unprecedented period of state repression in the country’s history that demands examination. In this article, we argue that in order to understand the recent increase in violent deaths in Venezuela during the post-Chávez period, we must place at the center of our analysis the discourses and practices of an extremely privileged actor, the state, in the context of the collapse of oil prices. We propose that this upsurge of lethal violence can be understood within the historical process of militarization of citizen security. In the first phase, starting in 2009, we see an increase in carceral punitivism—the hyperreaction of the penal state. In the second, a new stage in militarized raids is launched which, over the years, gave way to a practice of systematic extralegal killings that became the fundamental strategy of social control. These raids represent a necropolitical approach to governance in a context of extreme economic and political crisis.
La muerte nuestra de cada día, 2021
La muerte nuestra de cada día, 2021
Routledge eBooks, Jun 8, 2021
Esta obra reúne las reflexiones de investigadores de distintas nacionalidades que se formulan pre... more Esta obra reúne las reflexiones de investigadores de distintas nacionalidades que se formulan preguntas sobre el estado que guarda la sociedad actual. En un diálogo sostenido con la tradición sociológica -la cual hace más de un siglo detectaba un tipo de angustia propio del inicio de la modernidad- y poniendo en juego las observaciones empíricas en diferentes contextos y ámbitos, los estudiosos intentan delinear la tensión que se gesta entre las expectativas generadas y la frustración que causa el hecho de no poder satisfacerlas. Tal problemática obliga a discutir la tesis clásica de Freud sobre dicho tema, pero pensando sociológicamente las consecuencias que ello acarrea en una colectividad que experimenta un desfase entre la eficacia de los sistemas institucionales de dominio que tradicionalmente otorgaban y controlaban el sentido de la vida (Iglesia, familia, escuela. . .) y los individuos. En el documento se analizan las repercusiones que los grandes cambios culturales han traíd...
A partir de la reflexion sobre el itinerario de nuestro trabajo de campo, este ensayo se propone:... more A partir de la reflexion sobre el itinerario de nuestro trabajo de campo, este ensayo se propone: 1)Compartir y aportar algunas pistas sobre la experiencia de realizar historias de vida entre jovenes hombres de vida violenta en una ciudad latinoamericana como Caracas. II) Comentar el dispositivo de entrevista en tanto interaccion productora de conocimiento, concretamente marcada en nuestro caso por la diferencia de genero, y en menor medida, edad y clase social. En otras palabras, a partir de nuestra experiencia personal, discutimos las implicaciones de hacer entrevistas a profundidad entre hombres jovenes de vida violenta provenientes de barrios precarios siendo una mujer-sociologa proveniente de medio diferente. Palabras clave: violencia, America Latina, interaccion, intermediario, genero.
Nueva Sociedad, 2013
Venezuela constituye una paradoja para los estudios sobre violencia urbana: si por un lado se obs... more Venezuela constituye una paradoja para los estudios sobre violencia urbana: si por un lado se observa una mejoria en sus indicadores sociales (en niveles de desigualdad, las cifras colocan al pais junto a Uruguay), en relacion con sus niveles de violencia se ubica junto a los paises con las tasas de homicidios mas elevadas de la region (como El Salvador o Guatemala). En ese marco, frente a la multiplicacion de muertes violentas, cuyas victimas habitan sobre todo en barrios populares, Caracas parece estar pasando de una ciudadania del miedo a una (anti )ciudadania del duelo.
Revista M. Estudos sobre a morte, os mortos e o morrer. DOSSIÊ MORTE, REGIMES POLÍTICOS E VIOLÊNCIA, 2018
Este ensayo, basado en dos investigaciones cualitativas en curso, plantea que para comprender el ... more Este ensayo, basado en dos investigaciones cualitativas en curso, plantea que para comprender el aumento reciente de las muertes violentas en Venezuela y específicamente en Caracas en el período post Chávez, tenemos que colocar en el centro del análisis los discursos y las prácticas de un actor privilegiado como lo es el Estado, en un contexto de colapso de los precios petroleros. Se propone que esta inusitada violencia letal puede ser comprendida por el impacto que ha ocasionado, dentro del histórico proceso de militarización de la seguridad ciudadana, un punitivismo carcelario que con el pasar de los años ha venido abriendo el paso y yuxtaponiéndose a una práctica de matanza sistemática extralegal implicada en la extrema violencia policial y militar de operativos militarizados focalizados en los sectores pobres. Esta avanzada militar, se puede decir, forma parte del avance de una necropolítica en el país en tiempos de Revolución Bolivariana post-Chavista.
Palabras Clave: Militarización de la seguridad ciudadana – Punitivismo carcelario – Matanza sistemática extralegal
ABSTRACT This essay, based on two qualitative studies still in progress, suggests that in order to understand the recent increase in violent deaths in Venezuela, specifically in Caracas, in the post-Chávez period we must place at the center of our analysis the discourses and practices of an extremely privileged actor, the state, in the context of the collapse of oil prices. Propose that this lethal violence, previously unheard of in the country, can be understood within the historical process of militarization of citizen security. As the outcome of a carceral punitivism that with the passing of the years has begun clearing a path and juxtaposing itself to the practice of systematic extralegal slaughter seen in extreme police and military violence in focused military raids in poor sectors. This military advance forms part of the advance of necropolitics in the country in the time of the Post-Chávez Bolivarian Revolution.
This book is a collection of studies of drug policies in several Latin American countries. The ch... more This book is a collection of studies of drug policies in several Latin American countries. The chapters analyze the specific histories of drug policies in each country, as well as related phenomena and case studies throughout the region. It presents conceptual reflections on the origins of prohibition and the “War on Drugs,” including the topic of human rights and cognitive freedom. Further, the collection reflects on the pioneering role of some Latin American countries in changing paradigms of international drug policy. Each case study provides an analysis of where each state is now in terms of policy reform within the context of its history and current socio-political circumstances. Concurrently, local movements, initiatives, and backlash against the reformist debate within the hemisphere are examined. The recent changes regarding the regulation of marijuana in the United States and their possible impact on Latin America are also addressed. This work is an important, up-to-date and well-researched reference for all who are interested in drug policy from a Latin American perspective.
Latin American Research Review, Dec 10, 2023
Bristol University Press eBooks, Aug 31, 2018
Editorial Universidad del Rosario eBooks, Nov 30, 2021
Revista mexicana de sociología, Jun 1, 2003
Oxford University Press eBooks, Apr 6, 2015
Political Geography, Oct 1, 2020
In 2015, Caracas, Venezuela, had a homicide rate of 75 per 100,000 inhabitants, which made it one... more In 2015, Caracas, Venezuela, had a homicide rate of 75 per 100,000 inhabitants, which made it one of the most violent cities in the world that year. Despite these high rates of violence, the international community knows relatively little about the dynamics underlying conflict in the city. Through a systematic comparison of three poor and working-class neighborhoods in the Caracas metropolitan area, this article analyzes the factors that have driven these remarkably high rates of violence, as well as those factors that have configured the heterogeneous violent conditions that operate across the city. Building on extensive interviews in these neighborhoods, we argue that the levels of violence in particular locales derive from the ways in which the Bolivarian political regime failed in its efforts to incorporate the poor and working-class inhabitants of different parts of the metropolitan area into the political, social, and economic systems that dominate the country today. We also argue that variation in violence results from the way in which certain neighborhoods are geographically inserted into local illicit economies and the political and social dynamics of an increasingly violent and unstable political system. In January 2019, Caracas erupted in protests after National Assembly leader Juan Guaid� o challenged Nicol� as Maduro's claim to the presidency. These rallies, as has occurred over the years, left scores dead and hundreds injured. While the international community focused on the demonstrations and the economic crisis that led millions to emigrate, relatively little attention has been paid to the problem of violence. In 2016, Venezuela's Attorney General reported that violence led nationally to 70 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, leaving 21,752 dead with police accounting for 4,667 of those killings. 1 The violence affecting Venezuela and Caracas, with 75 homicides per 100,000 in 2015, 2 is part of the wider crisis affecting the Bolivarian Revolution but also reflects Venezuela's place in a region with exceptional criminal violence. Despite global condemnation of state abuses, the dramatic violence Venezuela suffers at the hands of state forces and illicit actors is reminiscent of the violence that underlies public life in Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Jamaica, and Central America. Simply replacing the Maduro government with a putatively liberal democratic one will not address the perilous violence Venezuelans face. This article, which focuses on three impoverished neighborhoods, argues that the violence affecting Caracas is historically grounded in these neighborhoods' geographically specific experiences and how they evolved within Venezuela's wider political system prior to and during the Bolivarian regime. 3 We emphasize the importance of urban geography in understanding crime and argue that the location of these neighborhoods connects each community to particular economic, social, and political contexts that shape the violence that occurs in those neighborhoods. These experiences of violence point to complex dynamics through which the government engages with social actors to undertake repression and sheds light on political practices in a region riven by social and criminal violence. As such, they point to lessons for scholars of a region where countries such
Nacla Report On The Americas, Jan 2, 2022
The Policy Press eBooks, Jun 22, 2012
The Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame has built an inte... more The Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame has built an international reputation by bringing the best of interdisciplinary scholarly inquiry to bear on democratization, human development, and other research themes relevant to contemporary societies around the world. Together, more than 100 faculty and visiting fellows as well as both graduate and undergraduate students make up the Kellogg community of scholars. Founded in 1982, the Institute promotes research, provides students with exceptional educational opportunities, and builds linkages across campus and around the world. The Kellogg Working Paper Series: n Shares work-in-progress in a timely way before final publication in scholarly books and journals n Includes peer-reviewed papers by visiting and faculty fellows of the Institute n Includes a Web database of texts and abstracts in English and Spanish or Portuguese n Is indexed chronologically, by region and by research theme, and by author n Most full manuscripts downloadable from kellogg.nd.edu
Violence: An International Journal, Apr 1, 2021
Since 2017, state security forces in Venezuela have been responsible for over 20% of violent deat... more Since 2017, state security forces in Venezuela have been responsible for over 20% of violent deaths in the country. This represents an unprecedented period of state repression in the country’s history that demands examination. In this article, we argue that in order to understand the recent increase in violent deaths in Venezuela during the post-Chávez period, we must place at the center of our analysis the discourses and practices of an extremely privileged actor, the state, in the context of the collapse of oil prices. We propose that this upsurge of lethal violence can be understood within the historical process of militarization of citizen security. In the first phase, starting in 2009, we see an increase in carceral punitivism—the hyperreaction of the penal state. In the second, a new stage in militarized raids is launched which, over the years, gave way to a practice of systematic extralegal killings that became the fundamental strategy of social control. These raids represent a necropolitical approach to governance in a context of extreme economic and political crisis.
La muerte nuestra de cada día, 2021
La muerte nuestra de cada día, 2021
Routledge eBooks, Jun 8, 2021
Esta obra reúne las reflexiones de investigadores de distintas nacionalidades que se formulan pre... more Esta obra reúne las reflexiones de investigadores de distintas nacionalidades que se formulan preguntas sobre el estado que guarda la sociedad actual. En un diálogo sostenido con la tradición sociológica -la cual hace más de un siglo detectaba un tipo de angustia propio del inicio de la modernidad- y poniendo en juego las observaciones empíricas en diferentes contextos y ámbitos, los estudiosos intentan delinear la tensión que se gesta entre las expectativas generadas y la frustración que causa el hecho de no poder satisfacerlas. Tal problemática obliga a discutir la tesis clásica de Freud sobre dicho tema, pero pensando sociológicamente las consecuencias que ello acarrea en una colectividad que experimenta un desfase entre la eficacia de los sistemas institucionales de dominio que tradicionalmente otorgaban y controlaban el sentido de la vida (Iglesia, familia, escuela. . .) y los individuos. En el documento se analizan las repercusiones que los grandes cambios culturales han traíd...
A partir de la reflexion sobre el itinerario de nuestro trabajo de campo, este ensayo se propone:... more A partir de la reflexion sobre el itinerario de nuestro trabajo de campo, este ensayo se propone: 1)Compartir y aportar algunas pistas sobre la experiencia de realizar historias de vida entre jovenes hombres de vida violenta en una ciudad latinoamericana como Caracas. II) Comentar el dispositivo de entrevista en tanto interaccion productora de conocimiento, concretamente marcada en nuestro caso por la diferencia de genero, y en menor medida, edad y clase social. En otras palabras, a partir de nuestra experiencia personal, discutimos las implicaciones de hacer entrevistas a profundidad entre hombres jovenes de vida violenta provenientes de barrios precarios siendo una mujer-sociologa proveniente de medio diferente. Palabras clave: violencia, America Latina, interaccion, intermediario, genero.
Nueva Sociedad, 2013
Venezuela constituye una paradoja para los estudios sobre violencia urbana: si por un lado se obs... more Venezuela constituye una paradoja para los estudios sobre violencia urbana: si por un lado se observa una mejoria en sus indicadores sociales (en niveles de desigualdad, las cifras colocan al pais junto a Uruguay), en relacion con sus niveles de violencia se ubica junto a los paises con las tasas de homicidios mas elevadas de la region (como El Salvador o Guatemala). En ese marco, frente a la multiplicacion de muertes violentas, cuyas victimas habitan sobre todo en barrios populares, Caracas parece estar pasando de una ciudadania del miedo a una (anti )ciudadania del duelo.
Dilemas: Revista de Estudos de Conflito e Controle Social
Governança criminal em tempos de revolução pós-Chávez e legitimidade questionada: Um olhar sobre ... more Governança criminal em tempos de revolução pós-Chávez e legitimidade questionada: Um olhar sobre as diferentes ordens territoriais e atores armados em Caracas compara a configuração de duas ordens territoriais armadas e as formas de governança local em contextos neopatrimoniais autoritários em Caracas que sofrem do que tem sido chamado de "crise humanitária complexa". Dialogamos com os conceitos de governança colaborativa e governança criminal para entender como o controle social funciona localmente em um contexto autoritário em que uma crise política, econômica e humanitária tem restringido os recursos e o escopo do governo. O caso venezuelano revela com especial interesse os processos de mutação nas relações entre os atores armados e um Estado fragmentado para funções de controle social em seus territórios, em um contexto de legitimidade disputada. Criminal Governance in Times of Post-Chávez Revolution and Questioned Legitimacy: A Look at Different Territorial Orders and Armed Actors in Caracas compares the configuration of two armed territorial orders and forms of local governance in neopatrimonial authoritarian contexts in Caracas that suffer from what has been called a "complex humanitarian crisis". Based on the analysis of ethnographic data, this text dialogues with the concepts of collaborative governance and criminal governance to understand how social control functions locally in an authoritarian context where a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis has restricted the resources and scope of government. The Venezuelan case is especially revealing of processes of mutation in the relations between armed actors and a fragmented state that involve social control functions in their territories in a context of contested legitimacy. Palavras-chave: governança criminal, governança híbrida, ordens territoriais armadas, despotismo armado
Dilemas: Revista de Estudos de Conflito e Controle Social
Governança criminal em tempos de revolução pós-Chávez e legitimidade questionada: Um olhar sobre ... more Governança criminal em tempos de revolução pós-Chávez e legitimidade questionada: Um olhar sobre as diferentes ordens territoriais e atores armados em Caracas compara a configuração de duas ordens territoriais armadas e as formas de governança local em contextos neopatrimoniais autoritários em Caracas que sofrem do que tem sido chamado de "crise humanitária complexa". Dialogamos com os conceitos de governança colaborativa e governança criminal para entender como o controle social funciona localmente em um contexto autoritário em que uma crise política, econômica e humanitária tem restringido os recursos e o escopo do governo. O caso venezuelano revela com especial interesse os processos de mutação nas relações entre os atores armados e um Estado fragmentado para funções de controle social em seus territórios, em um contexto de legitimidade disputada. This article compares the configuration of two armed territorial orders and forms of local governance in neo-patrimonial authoritarian contexts in Caracas that suffer from what has been called a "complex humanitarian crisis". Based on the analysis of ethnographic data, this text dialogues with the concepts of collaborative governance and criminal governance to understand how social control functions locally in an authoritarian context where a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis has restricted the resources and scope of government. The Venezuelan case is especially revealing of processes of mutation in the relations between armed actors and a fragmented state that involve social control functions in their territories in a context of contested legitimacy. Palavras-chave: governança criminal, governança híbrida, ordens territoriais armadas, despotismo armado
Para comprender el aumento de la violencia en Venezuela, es necesario colocar en el centro del an... more Para comprender el aumento de la violencia en Venezuela, es necesario colocar en el centro del analisis los discursos y las practicas estatales, en un contexto de caida de los precios petroleros. La inusitada violencia puede ser explicada por el impacto que ha ocasionado el recrudecimiento de la historica militarizacion de la seguridad ciudadana, lo que condujo a la mutacion de un punitivismo carcelario que abrio paso a una practica de matanza sistematica. Practicas como las Operaciones para la Liberacion y Proteccion del Pueblo (OLP) en los barrios populares forman parte del avance de una necropolitica en el pais.
Noria Research, 2021
Desde hace ya varios años Venezuela atraviesa una combinación inédita de crisis tanto en términos... more Desde hace ya varios años Venezuela atraviesa una combinación inédita de crisis tanto en términos político-institucionales como socioeconómicos, sanitarios, de seguridad pública, entre tantos otros.
Tras perder el control de la Asamblea nacional en 2015, Nicolás Maduro y el oficialismo han gobernado el país a través de un estado de excepción ininterrumpido, reprimiendo la disidencia y la protesta a su antojo y cercenando cada vez más el pluralismo político. Por su parte, la oposición parlamentaria reunida durante los dos últimos años detrás de la figura de Juan Guaidó, ha llamado a los Estados Unidos a bloquear las ya muy mermadas fuentes de ingreso del Estado venezolano y a amenazarlo militarmente.
Las instituciones públicas son incapaces de garantizar a la población las condiciones mínimas de vida materiales, jurídicas e incluso fisiológicas que mal que bien se mantenían vigentes seis años atrás, mientras continúan participando a los mecanismos de acumulación de capital que benefician a las élites civiles y militares cada vez más vinculadas con la cúpula gubernamental. En este contexto, el grueso de los venezolanos se ven forzados a elegir entre seguir viviendo un día a día lleno de constantes privaciones, sufrimientos y atropellos, o emprender los riesgosos caminos del éxodo que los llevan hacia inciertos horizontes – como es el caso de los mas de cinco millones de ciudadanos que desde 2014 dejaron el país, lo que representa un 15% de la población.
Con frecuencia la prensa nacional e internacional pone al relieve las expresiones más dramáticas de esta situación, en especial cuando se trata de mostrar los hechos más visibles y ruidosos que forman parte de las movilizaciones antigubernamentales y las luchas partidistas. Sin embargo, la voluntad vehemente de pensar en una posible salida democrática y pacífica de la situación de crisis generalizada y rutinaria que vive el país, tiende a obstaculizar la comprensión del modelo autoritario en la que está enmarcada la crisis, y sus complejas implicaciones en las que se entrelazan dinámicas tanto de índole nacional, regional como global.
No cabe duda de que la “crisis humanitaria” o “emergencia humanitaria compleja” surgida poco después de la muerte de Hugo Chávez y la elección de Maduro en 2013, tiene mucho (por no decir todo) que ver con la obstinada manera en que el segundo rechaza toda posibilidad de dejar o compartir el poder. Sin embargo, es imperativo dar cuenta a la luz de la permeabilidad entre las fronteras de los sectores público y privado, así como de la continua fragmentación del ejercicio de la violencia, que las bases que permiten la dominación de la sociedad venezolana por el llamado “Estado fallido” o “criminal” están mucho más difusas y ancladas a lo largo del tejido social venezolano de lo que a menudo pareciera.
Este número recorre las dinámicas que sustentan la perpetuación y trivialización de la “crisis multidimensional” en Venezuela. Evidentemente, no se trata de ningún modo de relativizar el momento crítico como tal, el cual no puede ser reducido a un supuesto invento político-mediático, y que al contrario corresponde tanto a un sentimiento subjetivo extensamente compartido como a un conjunto de hechos objetivos.
Sin embargo, para los autores del número se trata de dar cuenta a través de un análisis detallado de las prácticas, interacciones y representaciones cotidianas de los múltiples actores subalternos, intermediarios y demás anónimos de la vida social y política del país, del hecho de que pese a las múltiples predicciones (de índole partidista y/o experta), el poder político y gubernamental no parece debilitado incluso frente al desmoronamiento del país. Más bien, según las dinámicas observadas es todo lo contrario, sin ánimos de descartar a priori una posible reapertura del juego político bien sea por la vía de la calle, los cuarteles o incluso las urnas.
En este sentido, las seis entrevistas del número permiten a los investigadores dar cuenta de cómo la excepción se ha ido convirtiendo en norma en la sociedad venezolana.
Sus análisis, basados en recientes trabajos de campo y archivos, exploran varias de las dinámicas que estructuran la normalización de la excepción, lo que esta normalización le debe a la crisis actual y/o las dinámicas heredadas del pasado reciente y lejano, y la manera cómo las lógicas de la excepción llegaron a estructurar el día a día y las expectativas de los venezolanos tanto dentro como fuera de su país.
La responsabilidad por las opiniones expresadas en los libros, artículos, estudios y otras colabo... more La responsabilidad por las opiniones expresadas en los libros, artículos, estudios y otras colaboraciones incumbe exclusivamente a los autores firmantes, y su publicación no necesariamente refleja los puntos de vista de la Secretaría Ejecutiva de CLACSO. CLACSO. Consejo Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales Conselho Latino-americano de Ciências Sociais 7 Chiconautla es el nombre coloquial que recibe el Centro de Prevención y Readaptación Social de Ecatepec, por ubicarse en el cerro de ese mismo nombre.