The Limits to Citizen Power

Victor Albert

Description

Can a political project exist outside of the power relations from which it is trying to emerge? In the twilight of Brazil’s twenty-one year military regime, a new union movement emerged in São Paulo’s industrial region, giving life to a new political party: the Workers’ Party. The electoral success enjoyed by the party enabled it to champion a whole raft of democratic reforms and Brazil is now celebrated as a laboratory for popular and participatory forms of government. However, through analysis of the trajectory of the Worker Party’s democratic experiment, the true challenge of embedding democracy inside existing state structures emerges.



Drawing on long-term ethnographic research, Victor Albert provides a critical analysis of citizen participation in Santo André, in the region of Greater São Paulo where the Workers’ Party was founded, holding a microscope to the power relations between political appointees, public officials and local community activists. Albert also reveals how different social actors think and feel about citizen participation away from formal assemblies, and how some participants engage in what is a tenuous, and at times mutually distrustful, tactical and strategic relationship with political patrons.
List of Figures and Tables

List of Abbreviations

Series Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1. Democratisation, Reform and Participation in Brazil

2. Rituals and Ritualisation

3. Participatory Budgeting: Ritualisations of Petitioning and Power

4. Embedded Participatory Institutions: The Urban Development Council and the Housing Council

5. Shared Practices, Contrasting Ideologies

6. Backstage

Conclusion: Reimagining Participatory Democracy

Notes

References

Index

Sujets

• Political Ideologies
• Social Science
• POLITICAL SCIENCE
• Sociologie, société et politique
• Constitution of Brazil
• Communism
• Celso Daniel
• Participatory budgeting
• Participatory democracy
• Deliberation
• Voting
• Anthropology
• Democracy
• Communisme
• Social
• Culture

Informations

• Publié par: Pluto Press
• Date de parution: 20 juin 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781783717972
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

The Lîmîts to Cîtîzen Power

Anthropology, Culture and Socîety

Serîes Edîtors: Proessor Vered Amît, Concordîa Unîversîty Doctor Jamîe Cross, Unîversîty o Edînburgh and Proessor Chrîstîna Garsten, Stockholm Unîversîty

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The Lîmîts to Cîtîzen Power Partîcîpatory Democracy and the Entanglements o the State

Vîctor Albert

Fîrst publîshed 2016 by Pluto Press 345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA

www.plutobooks.com

Copyrîght © Vîctor Albert 2016

The rîght o Vîctor Albert to be îdentîfied as the author o thîs work has been asserted by hîm în accordance wîth the Copyrîght, Desîgns and Patents Act 1988.

Brîtîsh Lîbrary Cataloguîng în Publîcatîon Data A catalogue record or thîs book îs avaîlable rom the Brîtîsh Lîbrary

ISBN ISBN ISBN ISBN ISBN

978 0 7453 3612 1 978 0 7453 3617 6 978 1 7837 1797 2 978 1 7837 1799 6 978 1 7837 1798 9

Hardback Paperback PDF eBook Kîndle eBook EPUB eBook

Thîs book îs prînted on paper suîtable or recyclîng and made rom ully managed and sustaîned orest sources. Loggîng, pulpîng and manuacturîng processes are expected to conorm to the envîronmental standards o the country o orîgîn.

Typeset by Stanord DTP Servîces, Northampton, England

Sîmultaneously prînted în the European Unîon and Unîted States o Amerîca

List of Figures and Tables List of Abbreviations Series Preface Acknowledgements

Contents

vî vîî vîîî îx

Introductîon 1 1 Democratîsatîon, Reorm and Partîcîpatîon în Brazîl 22 2 Rîtuals and Rîtualîsatîon 41 3 Partîcîpatory Budgetîng: Rîtualîsatîons o Petîtîonîng and Power 66 4 Embedded Partîcîpatory Instîtutîons: The Urban Development Councîl and the Housîng Councîl 85 5 Shared Practîces, Contrastîng Ideologîes 114 6 Backstage 143 Conclusîon: Reîmagînîng Partîcîpatory Democracy 167

Notes References Index

188 192 205

List of Figures and Tables

Figures 3.1 Partîcîpants makîng demands durîng the Parque Andreense assembly 3.2 Demands dîsplayed on a projector screen 3.3 Attendees vote or învestment prîorîtîes and regîonal representatîves usîng electronîc ballot machînes 4.1 Spatîal organîsatîon în the UDC 4.2 Spatîal organîsatîon în the HC

Tables 3.1 Bîennîal cycle o the partîcîpatory budget 4.1 General agenda îtems or the UDC 4.2 General agenda îtems or the HC

72 74

76 90 104

68 95 106

List of Abbreviations

AEIS Áreas de Especîal Interesse Socîal (Areas o Specîal Socîal Interest) ABC the munîcîpalîtîes o Santo André, São Bernardo do Campo and São Caetano, a regîon o São Paulo CESA Centro Educacîonal de Santo André FNRU Fórum Nacîonal de Reorma Urbana (Natîonal Forum or Urban Reorm) HC Conselho Munîcîpal de Habîtação (Housîng Councîl) MBC Conselho Munîcîpal de Orçamento (Munîcîpal Budget Councîl) MDF Movîmento de Deesa do Favelado (Movement or the Deence o Shanty-Town Inhabîtants) MDDF Movîmento de Deesa dos Dîreîtos de Moradores em Favela (Movement or the Deence o Favela Inhabîtants’ Rîghts) MNRU Movîmento Nacîonal de Reorma Urbana (Movement or Urban Reorm) PB partîcîpatory budget PDS Partîdo Democrátîco Socîal (Democratîc Socîal Party) PFL Partîdo da Frente Lîberal (Lîberal Front Party) SEMASA Servîço Munîcîpal de Saneamento Ambîental de Santo André (Munîcîpal Urban Sanîtatîon Servîce o Santo André) SERVCOOP Cooperatîva Habîtacîonal dos Servîdores Públîcos de Santo André (Santo André Munîcîpal Publîc Servants’ Housîng Cooperatîve) UDC Conselho Munîcîpal de Polítîca Urbana (Urban Development Councîl) WMC Conselho Munîcîpal de Assîstêncîa Socîal (Welare Management Councîl) ZEIS Zonas Especîaîs de Interesse Socîal (Specîal Socîal Interest Zones)

Series Preface

Anthropology îs a dîscîplîne based upon în-depth ethnographîc works that deal wîth wîder theoretîcal îssues în the context o partîcular, local condîtîons – to paraphrase an împortant volume rom the serîes:large issues explored însmall places. Thîs serîes has a partîcular mîssîon: to publîsh work that moves away rom an old-style descrîptîve ethnography that îs strongly area-studîes orîented, and oer genuîne theoretîcal arguments that are o înterest to a much wîder readershîp, but whîch are nevertheless located and grounded în solîd ethnographîc research. I anthropology îs to argue îtsel a place în the contemporary întellectual world, then ît must surely be through such research. We start rom the questîon: ‘What can thîs ethnographîc materîal tell us about the bîgger theoretîcal îssues that concern the socîal scîences?’ rather than ‘What can these theoretîcal îdeas tell us about the ethnographîc context?’ Put thîs way round, such work becomesaboutlarge îssues,set in a (relatîvely) small place, rather than detaîled descrîptîon o a small place or îts own sake. As Clîord Geertz once saîd, ‘Anthropologîsts don’t study vîllages; they studyinvîllages.’ By place, we mean not only geographîcal locale, but also other types o ‘place’ – wîthîn polîtîcal, economîc, relîgîous or other socîal systems. We thereore publîsh work based on ethnography wîthîn polîtîcal and relîgîous movements, occupatîonal or class groups, among youth, development agencîes, and natîonalîst movements; but also work that îs more thematîcally based – on kînshîp, landscape, the state, vîolence, corruptîon, the sel. The serîes publîshes our kînds o volume: ethnographîc monographs; comparatîve texts; edîted collectîons; and shorter, polemîcal essays. We publîsh work rom all tradîtîons o anthropology, and all parts o the world, whîch combînes theoretîcal debate wîth empîrîcal evîdence to demonstrate anthropology’s unîque posîtîon în contemporary scholarshîp and the contemporary world.

Proessor Vered Amît Dr Jamîe Cross Proessor Chrîstîna Garsten

Acknowledgements

I am very grateul to a large number o people that made thîs book possîble. In Australîa, I must îrst o all recognîse the eorts o my dear rîend, Rowan Ireland. Rowan’s selless encouragement, support, and crîtîcal eedback belong to a kînd o scholarly collegîalîty that seems to be dîsappearîng rom the modern academy. I hope that some o ît has rubbed o on me. At La Trobe Unîversîty, I would lîke to thank Anthony Moran or hîs constructîve crîtîcîsm, practîcal advîce, generous spîrît and rîendshîp. Also at La Trobe were that coterîe o Latîn Amerîcanîsts, încludîng Barry Carr, Ralph Newmark, and the late Steve Nîblo, who helped to shape thîs work through years o eedback, debate and dîscussîons. Many thanks go to them and also to Chrîs Eîpper and Karl Smîth or theîr own împortant contrîbutîons to thîs project. Zuleîka Arashîro has been a great rîend and an împortant source o support and advîce over the years as we each have crîss-crossed each other’s countrîes. I I am îndebted to a large number o people în Australîa, the number îs even hîgher în Brazîl. The admînîstratîon în Santo André gave me access I would never have been aorded în Australîa. They were wîllîng and accessîble, orthrîght and accommodatîng. Wîthout theîr co-operatîon I never would have been able to wrîte thîs monograph. I was welcomed by the admînîstratîon în Santo André based on the understandîng, I belîeve, that ît îs împortant to have crîtîcal perspectîves on local polîtîcs. My hope îs that thîs book îs receîved în the spîrît în whîch I was receîved. I must partîcularly sîngle out Robson at SEMASA or hîs rîendshîp and help over the years. I am also, o course, orever în the debt o thoseandreense partîcîpants and socîal actîvîsts who gave o theîr tîme to a stranger, who took me în, drîed me when I arrîved soakîng rom a lash storm, ed me and trusted me lîke amîly. Perhaps the only way I can repay some o theîr hospîtalîty and good wîll îs to gîve a aîthul renderîng o what I experîenced and the story the data tell. I would also lîke to acknowledge Thaîsa de Andrade, Jeerson Maînardes and Robîson Chagas în Ponta Grossa-PR, or theîr help and support. Thîs manuscrîpt grew and took shape over a perîod when I was a Post- Doctoral Fellow at the Dîgîtal Ethnography Research Centre, at RMIT Unîversîty. I would în partîcular lîke to thank Tanîa Lewîs or helpîng me