The photographer's body: Populism, polarization, and the uses of victimhood in Venezuela

Political antagonism between supporters and opponents of former president Hugo Chávez has been a defining feature of daily life in Caracas for more than a decade. Despite their different political orientations, the antagonistic poles of "chavismo" and "the opposition" share strik...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American ethnologist Vol. 40; no. 3; pp. 525 - 539
Main Author: SAMET, ROBERT
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Washington, DC Wiley Subscription Services 01.08.2013
Hoboken, NJ Wiley
American Ethnological Society
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Subjects:
Activities of daily living
America
Asia
Body
Chavez, Hugo
Coups d'Etat
Crime
democracy
Ethnology
Everyday Life
Hostility
Hugo Chávez
identity
Journalists
media
Media studies
Mobilization
Photography
Photojournalism
Polarization
Political Opposition
Politics
Populism
Presidency
Presidents
Reporters
sacrifice
social movements
Social organization, political organization and power, relations with the State
Social relations. Intercultural and interethnic relations. Collective identity
Social structure and social relations
sovereignty
Supporters
Venezuela
victimhood
Victimization
South America
Venezuela
Caracas Venezuela
Sovereignty
Polarization
social movements
Use
Opposition
Media
Populism
sacrifice
Hugo Chávez
Venezuela
victimhood
Political life
Democracy
Social movement
Identity
Victim
ISSN:0094-0496, 1548-1425
Online Access:Get full text
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Description
Summary:Political antagonism between supporters and opponents of former president Hugo Chávez has been a defining feature of daily life in Caracas for more than a decade. Despite their different political orientations, the antagonistic poles of "chavismo" and "the opposition" share striking similarities, starting at the level of political practice. I argue that Venezuela's political polarization reflects the shared logic of populism. Through the story of Jorge Tortoza—a photojournalist killed during the failed 2002 coup d'état against President Chávez—I describe how the chavista–opposition divide is produced and policed through performances of victimhood, performances that are essential to populist mobilization in Venezuela.
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ISSN:0094-0496
1548-1425
DOI:10.1111/amet.12037