Journeys of fear : refugee return and national transformation in Guatemala / edited by Liisa L. North and Alan B. Simmons.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

North, Liisa.

Simmons, Alan.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Return migration.

Guatemala--Politics and government--1985-.

Guatemala.

Politics and government.

Return migration--Guatemala.

Guatemala--Economic conditions--1985-.

Economic conditions.

Guatemala--Social conditions.

Social conditions.

Mayas--Guatemala--Government relations.

Mayas.

Physical Description:

xv, 337 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Montreal : McGil-Queen's University Press, 1999.

Summary:

Understanding democracy, human rights, and development in the conflict-ridden societies of the third world is at the heart of Journeys of Fear, a stimulating collection of papers prepared by Canadian and Guatemalan scholars.

Edited and with contributions by Liisa North and Alan Simmons, this collection explores the participation of the oppressed and marginalised Guatemalan refugees, most of them indigenous Mayas who fled from the army's razed-earth campaign of the early 1980s, in government negotiations regarding the conditions for return. The essays adopt the refugees' language concerning return -- defining it as a self-organized and participatory collective act that is very different from repatriation, a passive process often organized by others with the objective of reintegration into the status quo. Contributors examine the extent to which the organized returnees and other social organizations with similar objectives have been successful in transforming Guatemalan society, creating greater respect for political, social, and economic rights. They also consider the obstacles to democratization in a country just emerging from a history of oppressive dictatorships and a thirty-six-year-long civil war.

Contents:

1 Fear and Hope: Return and Transformation in Historical Perspective / Liisa L. North, Alan B. Simmons 3

Part 1 Perspectives on the National Political-Economic Setting

2 Reflections on the Problems of Democracy in Guatemala / Rene Poitevin 31

3 Land and Peace: Two Points of View / Gonzalo de Villa, W. George Lovell 40

Part 2 Negotiating and Monitoring the Peace: National and International Dimensions

4 Paradigms of Negotiation and Democratization in Guatemala / Marco Fonseca 57

5 Maximizing the Benefits of UN Involvement in the Guatemala Peace Process / Stephen Baranyi 74

6 "Somos de la Tierra": Land and the Guatemalan Refugee Return / Brian Egan 95

7 Migration and the Displaced in Guatemala City in the Context of a Flawed National Transformation / Gisela Gellert 112

8 Exodus and Return with a Changing Migration System / Manuel Angel Castillo 130

Part 4 Identity and Community: Gender, Ethnicity, and Place

9 The Unexpected Consequences of Violence: Rethinking Gender Roles and Ethnicity / M. Gabriela Torres 155

10 To Whom Shall the Nation Belong? The Gender and Ethnic Dimension of Refugee Return and the Struggle for Peace in Guatemala / Alison Crosby 176

11 Democratization and Popular Women's Organizations / Cathy Blacklock 196

12 Guatemalan Refugees and Returnees: Place and Maya Identity / Catherine Nolin Hanlon 213

Part 5 Ngo Networks and Governmental Assistance

13 Theorizing Accompaniment / Barry Levitt 237

14 Canadian Foreign Aid as Support for Human Rights and Democratization in Guatemala / Viviana Patroni, Jim Gronau 255

15 Concluding Reflections: Refugee Return, National Transformation, and Neoliberal Restructuring / Liisa L. North, Alan B. Simmons 272.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

0773518614 :

OCLC:

43269222