This unique collection of multidisciplinary essays explores recent developments in Paraguay over the course of the last thirty years since General Alfredo Stroessner fell from power in 1989. Stroessner's strong authoritarian legacy continues to exert an impact on Paraguay's political culture today, where the conservative Colorado Party continues to dominate much of the political landscape in spite of the country having transitioned into a modern democracy.
The essays in Native Peoples, Politics, and Society in Contemporary Paraguay provide new understandings of how Paraguay has become more integrated into the regional economy and societies of Latin America and changed in unexpected ways. The scholarship examines how the political change impacted Paraguayans, especially its indigenous population, and how the country adapted as it emerged from authoritarian traditions. Each contribution is exemplary in the scope and depth of its understanding of Paraguay, especially its indigenous peoples, politics, women's rights, economy, and natural environment.
List of Maps
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Chronology of Major Events
Melissa Birch, Paola Canova, Sarah Patricia Cerna Villagra, Barbara A. Ganson, and René D. Harder Horst
Introduction
Barbara A. Ganson
Chapter One. Indigenous People in Paraguay and Latin America's Move to Democracy
René D. Harder Horst
Chapter Two. The Guaraní: From Forest People to Urban Refugees
Richard K. Reed
Chapter Three. Rethinking Ayoreo Urbanity: Labor Relations and Land Claims in a Mennonite Colony of the Chaco
Paola Canova
Chapter Four. Paraguay's Political System from Authoritarian Hegemony to Moderate Pluralism, 1954-2019
Sarah Patricia Cerna Villagra, Sara Mabel Villalba Portillo, Eduardo Tamayo Belda, and Roque Mereles Pintos
Chapter Five. Gender Quotas and Women's Political Identities in Paraguay
Brian Turner
Chapter Six. Paraguay and Mercosur: Unlocking Global Potential in a Regional Trade Agreement?
Melissa Birch
Contributors
Index