On a wave of revolutionary upheaval in the early twenty-first century, Evo Morales was swept into state power as Bolivia’s first Indigenous president with a mandate to radically transform the country. The ensuing period, known simply as “el proceso de cambio” (the process of change), has been a tension-filled and contradictory process involving progressive transformations, ambiguous continuities, and outright revolutionary failures. Importantly, the contradictions have been just as much ideological as they are material.  

By examining and illuminating the contrasting logics underlying opposing theories of revolutionary change, Visions of Transformation provides an analytical framework through which to understand and interpret the central conflicts and contradictions of Bolivia under Evo Morales and the Movimiento al Socialismo.

Based on nearly two years of immersive fieldwork, Visions of Transformation explores the relation between theoretical production and political practice. Through the contrasting perspectives of hegemony and plurinationality, the book analyzes three specific conjunctural moments—a proposed highway through the TIPNIS, a conflict over representation of the highland Indigenous movement organization CONAMAQ, and the struggle for Indigenous autonomy—to shed light on the primary economic, social, political, and theoretical tensions at the heart of Bolivia’s proceso de cambio.

“This book offers both a new reading on the political changes of Bolivia’s recent past and a rich exploration of radical political thought. Drawing on thinkers from Gramsci to Zavaleta, the author considers how a revolutionary urge to build hegemony through the state clashes with a radical vision for horizontalism and multiplicity through a vision of plurinationalism. For those interested in Latin American revolutionary histories—and radical political struggle everywhere —the book offers a rich and insightful take.”—Bret Gustafson, author of Bolivia in the Age of Gas

“Visions of Transformation excavates the rich and vibrant debates within Bolivian social theory from the start of the twenty-first century to offer a compelling account of Bolivia’s first indigenous president, Evo Morales (2006–2019). In doing so, Augsburger provides a novel analytical framework with which to understand the radical transformations in twenty-first century Bolivia and, in more general terms, to reconceptualize revolution within and beyond the state."—Angus McNelly, author of Now We Are in Power: The Politics of Passive Revolution in Twenty-First Century Bolivia