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The International Handbook of the Demography of Race and Ethnicity pp 111–128Cite as

Race, Ethnicity, and Politics in Venezuela

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Part of the book series: International Handbooks of Population ((IHOP,volume 4))

Abstract

Venezuela has a long history of racial and ethnic inequality. Dating back to the colonial period, structures of racial and ethnic inequality were established, leading to the social, political and economic marginalization of non-white racial and ethnic groups. Although changes have occurred in Venezuela over the centuries, with some significant changes in the last 15 years, these populations continue to be overrepresented among the poor and continue to face discrimination. This is partially due to the denial that racism exists, and partially due to a privileging of class over race in Venezuelan politics both historically and today.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See Terry Karl’s (1997) The Paradox of Plenty: Oil Booms and Petro-States for more information on how the oil sector impacts other sectors of the economy, and in particular how it has impacted Venezuela.

  2. 2.

    Because the informal sector is by definition undocumented economic activity, it is difficult to find reliable estimates of its size. Weisbrot and Sandoval (2008:13) estimate that informal sector employment (as of 2007) accounted for about 49.4 % of total employment.

  3. 3.

    Interestingly, the urban protesters who supported the indigenous activists also used the indigenous identity as a way to frame their struggles. They painted murals of indigenous leaders in their barrios and created narratives based on indigenous history as they struggled over issues related to urban poverty (Fernandes 2010).

  4. 4.

    Including Arvelo-Jiménez (2000), Briggs (2001), Gassón (2000), Heinen and García-Castro (2000), Hill (2000), Luis Rodriguez (2000), Margolies (2006), Navarrete (2000), Pérez (2000), Pollak-Eltz (1994), Scaramelli and Tarble (2000), Valencia Ramírez (2009), Vidal (2000).

  5. 5.

    Including Lynch (1973), Tinker Salas (2009), Wright (1990).

  6. 6.

    Including Cannon (2008), Herrera Salas (2007), Van Cott (2003).

  7. 7.

    His concept of hegemony is developed in Selections from the Prison Notebooks (1983).

  8. 8.

    Polanyi develops his ideas in his 2001 book The Great Transformation.

  9. 9.

    Burawoy draws on Mouffe’s ideas from her piece “Hegemony and Ideology in Gramsci,” in the book she edited and published in 1979 Gramsci and Marxist Theory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Tiffany Linton Page

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  1. Tiffany Linton Page
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Correspondence to Tiffany Linton Page .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Public Policy and Department of Demography, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA

    Rogelio Sáenz

  2. Loyola University Chicago Dept. Sociology, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    David G. Embrick

  3. Dept of Sociology and Population Research Centre, The Univ. of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA

    Néstor P. Rodríguez

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Page, T.L. (2015). Race, Ethnicity, and Politics in Venezuela. In: Sáenz, R., Embrick, D., Rodríguez, N. (eds) The International Handbook of the Demography of Race and Ethnicity. International Handbooks of Population, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8891-8_6

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