The Political Empowerment of the Cocaleros of Bolivia and Peru

The political landscapes of Bolivia and Peru have been impacted by the emergence of cocaleros as political actors. The experiences of these cocaleros have been strikingly different in the two countries: their paths, empowerment, and impact have varied significantly in scope and intensity. In Bolivia, cocaleros formed a social movement, launched a political party, and brought together a broad coalition that led to the election of their main leader as Bolivia's first indigenous president. In Peru, cocaleros formed a social movement in spite of serious obstacles, but then failed to articulate and act upon a unified political agenda. This book examines the different experiences of the Bolivian and Peruvian cocaleros, who became empowered through contentious action that originated in the defense of coca—an issue that is both de-legitimizing and divisive. In doing so, it illustrates how coca, an internationally criminalized good, affected the path and outcome of cocalero empowerment in each case.