Public intellectuals and the construction of anti-neoliberal hegemony: the case of Grupo Comuna in Bolivia

This article reviews the construction of an anti-neoliberal (counter-)hegemony in Bolivia in the early twenty-first century, focusing on the distinctive contribution of Grupo Comuna, a small but highly influential collective of public intellectuals and activists. That counter-hegemony was instrumental in changing the country’s constitution and addressing entrenched features of Bolivia’s social and economic structure. The uniqueness of Bolivia’s experience can be explained by the convergence of large, radical and strongly rooted Indigenous social movements and intellectual currents that translated their agenda to other influential groups, especially the urban middle classes; this would lay the foundations for Evo Morales’ rise to power, in 2005. This article shows how Comuna contributed to these processes in three ways: (1) translation, by providing a compelling interpretation of the mobilisations in the country; (2) articulation, by bringing together disparate groups and social movements; and (3) dissemination, by circulating the agenda of the social movements. The article contextualises neoliberalism in the South American context, reviews the history of social mobilisations in Bolivia from the perspective of Grupo Comuna, examines the role of the group in the construction of the anti-neoliberal hegemony, and explains the relationship between Comuna and wider mobilisations.