Intellectual tendencies in the debate for autonomies

Abstract

The authors of this article collect the most widespread intellectual r eflections in Bolivia of the last years about the theme of autonomies and, from those, establish tendencies tha t influence directly or indirectly the construction the actual proposals of the social movements and pol iticians to the Constituent Assembly. The issue of autonomies is one of the axes of the most important discussions on St ate reform in Bolivia and securely will be the object of confrontation for distinct posit ions in the Constituent Assembly scene. The results of the referendum on autonomies held in July, 2006, far from showing a country divided in two halves ‐ east and west ‐ has basically expressed tw o things: in the first place, the theme of autonomy has installed itself in the Bolivian politic al debate as one of the central points for a future reform of the State, and secondly, the elector al results have been in a majority close to autonomy in four departments and rejected in the other fi ve, showing important voting for the option against the majority in these departments, with a fe w exceptions. Beyond the results of consulting the citizens, discursively linked to regi onal demand, autonomy cannot be conceived as only one voice. Autonomy acquires different significance s and senses depending of those that pronounce on them, and their connection to different ideologi cal and political positions. Thus a wide range of acceptance tied to the concept exi sts, from those referring to administrative, political or managerial autonomy, to indigenous autonomies as the basis of selfdetermination. This debate, until a few years ago restricted to the a cademic-intellectual area, has actually been transferred to the proposals of the social and political m ovement for the Constituent. Without doubt one may verify an important influence of intellectual thought on the collective proposals.