Rigoberta Menchu and Guatemala
This is an excerpt from the paper...
Many examinations of the world's political economy ignore the role and even the presence of the Fourth World societies, made up of prestate societies studied by anthropologists. Such societies have now come into contact with industrial societies and have been undergoing a transformation, often a violent transformation marked by conflict with military rule in the nation-state of which they find themselves a part. The story of Rigoberta Menchú, an Indian woman and leader in Guatemala, serves as an example of the tensions and trials faced by these peoples as they are presented with the need to make a living and continue as much of their way of life as they can as they are also incorporated into the global market system. The Guatemala experience as represented by Menchú demonstrates the use and abuse of military force in implementing social policy, the attempt to maintain culture as a form of resistance and survival, and regional, national, and international forces affecting the condition of these people at the local level, and the specific roles of women in the prestate community today. Menchú demonstrates clearly the devastation brought about by the misuse of military rule against a class of citizens in a developing economy. Her people came into conflict with the ruling elite, the landowners who exploit these people and who do not want the peasants incorporated fully into the economy. If they were fully integrated into the economy, they would benefit from their labor. R
. . .
he rural area, making sure that it forms part of the process of education and training of the population. . . make sure that programs are conducted, designed to reduce the levels of illiteracy, in order to make the population more receptive to new ideas and augment the feasibility of actions directed at the molding and maintenance of nationalism.
The counter-insurgency program instituted in Guatemala shows the elements usually found in such programs in the late twentieth century:
[I]t is composed of two equally essential aspects--total war against civilian populations for the purpose of destroying base support for the liberation armies; and propaganda for the urban middle class of the country and for international public opinion, especially for the North American media.
The total war against the population has the opposite effect of what is intended, for it is doubtful that the people can really be terrorized into submission. Instead, what is likely to happen is that more and more people will become active in the liberation movement.
This process can be seen in the story of Rigoberta Menchú, for she becomes more radicalized as her family is killed off one by one and her community savaged by the military. The milita
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Menchú Indian, Rigoberta Menchú, American Indian, United States', Fourth World, American Republic, Third World, North American, , York Verso, native peoples, rigoberta menchú, liberation movement, ruling elite, military rule, commitment liberation movement, larger economy, story rigoberta, father jail, commitment liberation, story rigoberta menchú, menchú demonstrates,
Approximate Word count = 1601
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
More Essays on Rigoberta Menchu and Guatemala
|
Customer Service
to Over
32,000 Professionally Written Papers!!!
