State intervention in indigenous economies : the case of Venezuelan Indian collectives

Abstract

This dissertation examines the organization of an unprecedented rural development program of Indian collectives in Venezuela. Based partly on a case study of two empresa communities, the dissertation critically considers the contradictory objectives, and the forms and level of efficacy of state intervention in indigenous economies, vis a vis these communities' own characteristics, needs, and active collaboration or resistance. The majority of data for this study was collected during six months of fieldwork in two empresa communities: the Bari empresa of Saimadoyi and the Pume empresa of Kumani. Data were also obtained through interviews and archival research in national and regional government offices. The fundamental questions relate to (1) the broad economic and political factors, both historical and structural, that influenced the genesis and transformation of Indian policy from welfare to development and (2) the impact that these collective organizations had on the lives of those who joined the program. The analysis is rooted in the theoretical debates on how state policies are generated in dependent capitalist economies, and debates on state-induced agrarian transition in Latin America--particularly in the context of ethnic Indian communities.