Analysis of Susanna Sawyer's Crude Chronicles - Book Report/Review Example

Crude Chronicles al Affiliation: Crude Chronicles Introduction Suzanna Sawyer’s “Crude Chronicles: Indigenous Politics, Multinational Oil, and Neoliberalism in Ecuador” is an attempt to bring the latest objects of analysis into the domain of anthropological. The book narrates about the struggles that exist between the indigenous social movements, the multinational energy company and the Ecuadoran state (Sawyer, 2004: 2). It is based on anthropological research in the Ecuadorian Amazon in the 1990s. Suzanna Sawyer reports how a grassroots organization, the Organization of Indigenous Peoples of Pastaza (OPIP), confronted multinational companies that wanted to drill for oil in their region. Organization of Indigenous Peoples of Pastaza organized successful protests in 1992 to condemn publicly petroleum policies, built alliances with the grassroots to dispute changes in a 1994 agrarian reform law, and added themselves into discussions on constructions of national identities in the 1998 constituent assembly (Sawyer, 2004: 19). The book challenges the depictions of globalization which has paradoxical effects on our daily lives and social institutions which are politics, economy, education, health among others. It leads to protests than making people docile in the acquisition of homogeneity. Ecuador is the third largest supplier of oil to the western United States. This helps Ecuadorian Amazon to have environmental and social effects of a growing United States demand for petroleum. Rude Chronicles trace the organization that was against the United States in 1990 (Maaka and Andersen, 2006: 7). From a global context, Sawyer wants to express the machination of power and manipulation of the powers in the world by the super powers. There is an analysis of postcolonial ethnography and field work. In her research, Sawyer examines the maneuvering of (OPIP) which is a powerful ethnic federation of in Amazon Ecuador. It represents Achuar, Canelos Quichua and Shiwiar communities. The chapters of this book revolve around the political background, about oil, land and the relations between Ecuadorian nation and state in which Organization of Indigenous Peoples of Pastaza (OPIP) and other organizations have major roles to play (Sawyer, 2004: 17). The book still discusses the issues of the land and reforms that focus son improvement of the land for instance, the 1964 Agrarian Reform Law together with the 1994 Agrarian Development Law. These laws were destined to break the communal land ownership into privatization of lands or modernized perspective of agriculture in Ecuador. There is little traditional ethnography in the Crude Chronicles (Cepak, 2005). Themes and concepts explored in the book Theme of colonialism is explained in the book. Colonialism is presented to have effects that influence the running governments and determine the activities it parties in the state. Members of the state are portrayed as people who live in antagonism because they keep on fighting the effects of colonialism the constitutional reforms that never took place in Ecuador are been forced by protestors who march from the lowland territories to the national capital of Quito in demand of their land rights and the reforms to their oppressing constitution (Maaka and Andersen, 2006: 12). This is an indication that the system of governance set by colonialists still exist and there are no other way of reverting this system apart from protesting in demand for rights. There are so many resources, which include oil (Sawyer, 2004: 7). The oil is a commodity that enriches only the mighty after being sold to the western America. The governance system has no structure that affects the grass roots but only benefit the influential. This results to an agitated grass root which always is in protests for their rights. Colonialisms and post colonialism still have effects in the state because people do not have control in the manner politics is played in the country (Maaka and Andersen, 2006: 13). The state has a lot of influence in the manner oil magnates are treated because they incorporate politicians in running of the economy. OPIP leaders lobby for donations from World Bank whereby third world countries pay in great interests than the developed countries. This is perpetual discrimination of the minors because oil in Ecuador is supposed to meet the needs of the citizens and the country at large (Cepak, 2005). Politics Politics in Ecuador is the main theme which covers all the affairs in the country. Economy is largely influenced by politics because involvement of the World Bank in lobbying of money to be funded to the stated is done by political leaders from the OPIP faction (Sawyer, 2004: 9). Politics is used to sway the economic ground of Ecuador because there is a large gap between the have and the have-nots. This is the global politics that globalization of the world brought to states. The grouping of indigenous people with colonialists only brings conflict and mockery rather than consensus (Maaka and Andersen, 2006: 14). The atrocities committed on the people before by colonialists are the source of retrogression by the Ecuadorian people. The state affairs are at stake when the government becomes the fiscal manager because there is no planning of the economy. Looting was widespread because political influence is rampant rather than the influence of economists. The state is forced to pay huge amounts of money to the World Bank in terms of interest while the funds were misused by the politicians (Sawyer, 2004: 19). Multinational oils in Ecuador is just a property of the mighty while those who work day and night in the oil wells are paid wages instead of real salaries or even bonuses by the government. A lot of influence from west America poses as neo colonialism whereby the government has no say about it because the west is right according to them. They receive incentives which made them work in cahoots with foreigners rather than protecting their state property (Maaka and Andersen, 2006: 19). Strengths and weaknesses The author of the book had both strengths and weaknesses according to the critique of the book. Her strength is that she highlights the application of the word globalization as an idea in Ecuador and the world at large. The author develops the alternatives of nationalisms that counter the OPIP struggles against the Ecuadorian and Texaco state (Sawyer, 2004). So many people just think that globalization is about sharing of resources around the globe but, according to Sawyer, it is the domination of the weaker states by the mightier ones. It is the increasing and uneven productions of capital in states which transnational capitalists occupy the space the corporate actors need to act upon and deliver for their state (Maaka and Andersen, 2006: 92). The Crude Chronicles address the relationship between the state and the nation when the highly positioned citizens jeopardize the freedom of the state at the expense of their greed. This happens when they are wooed to respond to the needs of the west than settle the problems in their nation (Sawyer, 2004: 90). The report provides an outstanding case of politically engaged study in which Sawyer does not present herself as a nonaligned observer, but as an advocate deeply committed to the rights of Indigenous peoples. Crude Chronicles underscore the fact that societal movements achieve something when they put together successful coalitions with outside supporters (Cepak, 2005). Weaknesses The weakness in the book is that it does not take us beyond the confines of the state. Sawyer fails to problematize race because it denies someone’s identity by the fact that it is masked by the officialization of spatial discourses, which are strengthened, by masking of the constitution to fit in to the desires of the minority (Maaka and Andersen, 2006: 91). Crude Chronicles is a measure of equality for it portrays plurinationalism as a vision fixed by Ecuadorian indigenous activities. The book does not focus how the vision can be developed as the events transpired (Maaka and Andersen, 2006: 309). Unsurprisingly, the author’s personal commitment to the indigenous struggles poses a dilemma for her significant engagement with key notions at play. It is difficult and creditable to trample the thin line between scholarly distance and political commitment but, it almost raises serious concerns (Cepak, 2005). Neo-liberalism Discovery of vast oil reserves in Texaco in Ecuador’s Amazon region made Ecuador become the third largest supplier of crude oil to the US. Sawyer examines Ecuador petroleum industry whereby she explains the negative impacts of neo-liberalism in Ecuador. Globalization and neo-liberalism have exacerbated the social, political and economic stand of Ecuador. This is done by highlighting of social stratification brought by inequalities of the society members. The effects of both globalization and neo-liberalism are evident on the people of Ecuador (Maaka and Andersen, 2006: 85). The neo-liberal state creation in Ecuador that revolved around oil production and exportation to the United States and other countries served as an eye opener to the other companies (Sawyer, 2004: 33). The daily activities in the state opened the political awareness of the indigenous people. They worked hard and offered themselves for the state but, the returns only enriched the non-participants in the business of oil (Maaka and Andersen, 2006: 90). The oil magnates exploited the indigenous people to a point that the indigenous people marched to the streets in demand for their rights (Sawyer, 2004: 29). This march did not only show opposition to neo-liberal policy but also exposed the separation of social class and race in the Ecuadorian society. More importantly, it disclosed a primary weakness of the indigenous movement (Maaka and Andersen, 2006: 20). Not all indigenous factions in Ecuador were represented by Organization of Indigenous People of Pastaza (OPIP). The racial division was brought about by the unequal distribution of resources in the state whereby the hardworking indigenous people never benefitted from the oil but, the traders carried all the small people had worked for in the fields (Cepak, 2005). The discovery of oil leads the rich foreign oil companies to settle in the Amazon region where they co-opted the poor people in the region. The indigenous people were given monetary rewards to woo them into accepting the expansionist agenda of the oil companies (Maaka and Andersen, 2006: 300). The indigenous people felt the lie but had no economic base to retaliate the efforts of the rich companies hence accepted to be displaced from their cradle land (Maaka and Andersen, 2006: 250). There emerged new politics of resistance because the people needed their resources back. They no longer needed the incentives to woo them into working in the oil wells. They need the lands to be given back to them and that is why Ecuadorians marched to the streets (Maaka and Andersen, 2006: 250). According to Maaka and Andersen (2006: 335), the Ecuadorians were forced to end the era of indegenity by the constitutionalization of thing in the manner activities were done in the country. Civilization in Ecuador was a key thing because there was the need to upgrade the manner in which people viewed the concept of civilization. It happened through formalization of the codes of behavior in the Ecuador community (Maaka and Andersen, 2006: 288). Law enforcement was necessary because indigenous people’s decisions challenged the sovereignty of the state (Maaka and Andersen, 2006: 288). Sawyer criticizes the neo-liberal policies that run third world countries economy. The dependency on crude oil wrecked Ecuador social relations and the environmental one to Amazon. The author illustrates the harmful effects of privatization and other reforms on marginalized people. Protests of the indigenous people due to the political enlightenment are a great cause of weakness to the hegemonic influence due to the stagnation of administration (Cepak, 2005). Reference List Cepak, M. (2005). Book review of Crude Chronicles: Indigenous Politics, Multinational Oil, and Neoliberalism in Ecuador. Suzanna Sawyer. Retrieved on 24th November, 2011 from http://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1074&context=tipiti Maaka, R. and Andersen, C. (2006). The indigenous experience: global perspectives. Toronto: Canadian Scholars Press. Sawyer, S. (2004). Crude chronicles: indigenous politics, multinational oil, and neoliberalism in Ecuador. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. Read More