3.7 Four expressions of power

Download this video clip.Video player: mch_unit3_3.7.mp4

Show transcript|Hide transcript

Transcript

NARRATOR:

Power over: positive or negative authority, control over individuals, groups or institutions; can be backed by force.

Power to: power that comes from having or developing skills, knowledge and tools, and the capacity to use them effectively to influence others.

Power with: power that comes from collective action, alliance and joining together to plan, build and act.

Power from within: confidence that comes from self-esteem, a belief in one’s right to act and occupy space and be treated well by others, and the belief that change is possible.

End transcript

Download

 

Watch the video for a closer look at the four expressions of power framework.

We can apply this framework to help us understand how change happened in the Chiquitanos case study:

Power Within: The change took place as part of a wider evolution of Indigenous identity. In the 1980s, inspired in part by Chiquitano language radio programmes, the Chiquitanos for the first time began to identify themselves as Indigenous people. Indigenous identity began to replace the class-based peasant identity promoted by the nationalism of Bolivia’s 1952 revolution. As one elderly woman explained, ‘Only a short while ago did we begin calling ourselves Chiquitano Indians... we look alike, we were all handed over to the bosses... they called us cambas or peasants until not long ago.’ More recently, access to education means that young members of the Chiquitano communities have been able to attend university for the first time.

Power With: The dawn of ‘power within’ rapidly led to ‘power with’ in the form of cultural associations, which rapidly acquired an explicitly political nature. The Chiquitano Indigenous Organization (OICH), represented more than 450 communities. A turning point came when the Chiquitanos decided to join up with Bolivia’s far more numerous highland Indians. ‘We met with one of the highlands leaders,’ recalls Chiquitano leader, now Senator, Carlos Cuasase, ‘and we said, ‘Look brother, you have the same problems that we do, the same needs.’ We agreed not only on [the law to nationalise] hydrocarbons but also to defend the rights of indigenous people of both highlands and lowlands.’ Working against these collective efforts however are the interests of logging and mining companies who are reported to seed social division by buying off certain leaders and communities.

Power To: After protests toppled President Sánchez de Lozada in October 2003, identity documents became easier to obtain and candidates were allowed to run independently of traditional political parties, which led to major gains for indigenous peoples in the 2005 municipal elections.

Power Over: In the words of a Chiquitano activist, ‘My father never realised our rights. We just did what the white people told us; only they could be in power, be president. We couldn’t even go into the town centre, people swore at us. But then we got our own organisation and elected our own leaders and that’s when we realised that we had rights.’ Chiquitano activists know that their struggle for rights is not over. The power of central government decisions around Bolivia’s economic model, particularly the emphasis on extractive industries means that their land is still threatened by deforestation.