Towards hegemony: the rise of Bolivia's indigenous movements

Analysing the rise of Bolivia's indigenous movements from the perspective of Otero's political-cultural formation theory (PCF), this thesis focuses on the Katarista movement, in the 1970s-1980s; and on the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) which has become the country's governing party. In examining the progression of these movements through the PCF, this project considers the impact of three determining factors; regional cultural and economic processes, state intervention, and leadership types. These factors interacted to produce different political outcomes. With Katarismo, the cultural processes shaped a movement primarily based on identity, limiting its political appeal. Furthermore, its leadership was unable to unify the movement. These factors had a different impact on the MAS as it was capable of organizing around both class and identity, enabling it to broaden its support base. The leadership's use of strategic alliances also facilitated the MAS's political ascent.