ABSTRACT
Bolivia has a long tradition of social mobilization and uprisings. The TIPNIS victory was possible because the lowlander indigenous communities and social movement supporters took advantage of a fortuitous political opportunity structure that Bolivian governments, especially the current one, had created. Divide-and-conquer tactics have split apart indigenous communities, undermined ethnic solidarity, and turned social movement against social movement. Thus old-style politics coexists within the new politics of social movement governance, constraining social movements once these share in state power. Social movement activism itself has served as both the cause and the consequence of contentious politics. Therefore, even with a popular president in power, contention has been integral to Bolivia's multiethnic democracy. Several conclusions can be gleaned from the TIPNIS protest and the ensuing conflict that played out with the government and among loyal and opposing groups, indigenous communities, and social movements. This chapter argues that contentious political mechanisms have been used when other legal avenues are either non-existent or ineffective.
