Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Trabajo de conclusión para la obtención del título de Master en Estudios Latinoamericanos presentado al Programa de Postgrado Interdisciplinar en Estudios Latinoamericanos de la Universidad Federal de Integración Latinoamericana. Orientador: Prof. Dr. Johnny Octavio Obando Morán. / Submitted by Jhoel David Esquivel Vera (jhoepo@hotmail.com) on 2016-05-23T17:38:14Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Prácticas discursivas del Estado-nación del Partido Político Colorado en el Paraguay 1989-2008. Análisis Postestructural.pdf: 853182 bytes, checksum: 0eb95c027596816ffe44bd225ae114f9 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Nilson Junior (nilson.junior@unila.edu.br) on 2016-05-23T17:51:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Prácticas discursivas del Estado-nación del Partido Político Colorado en el Paraguay 1989-2008. Análisis Postestructural.pdf: 853182 bytes, checksum: 0eb95c027596816ffe44bd225ae114f9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-23T17:51:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Prácticas discursivas del Estado-nación del Partido Político Colorado en el Paraguay 1989-2008. Análisis Postestructural.pdf: 853182 bytes, checksum: 0eb95c027596816ffe44bd225ae114f9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-23 / This research aims to study in a deconstructive way the formation and practice of political speeches from the discursive unity of State-Nation as a category of social and political organization in Paraguay. Specifically, it was a analyzed the use that the Colorado Party has been making of the nationalist discourse as an ideology and power tool to produce collective rationalities reinforcing, in that way, a political hegemony in the social imaginary from 1989 to 2008. It was chosen the application of postestructural perspective as strategy of analysis, which proposes the thesis of impossibility of closure in every political order, problematizing in that way categories as: representation, hegemony, nation, society, among others, which lack a static articulatory essence. The theorists studied that support this thesis were Ernesto Laclau and Benjamin Arditi. Discourses were selectively analyzed without neglecting their context of historical emergency, to deconstruct after the inaugural speeches of elected presidents from 1989 to 2008 transversally. Among the most relevant of the analysis of the discourses it was found the persistence and reproduction of the nationalist discourse in speeches of political representatives in the mentioned period quoted as one of the interpretative keys to understand the political behavior of Paraguayan society . / La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo estudiar de manera deconstructiva la formación y práctica de los discursos políticos a partir de la unidad discursiva del Estado-Nación como categoría de organización social y política en el Paraguay. Específicamente se ha analizado el uso que el Partido Colorado ha venido haciendo del discurso nacionalista como una ideología y herramienta de poder para producir racionalidades colectivas reforzando así una hegemonía política en el imaginario social entre 1989 al 2008. Se ha optado por la aplicación de la perspectiva postestructural como estrategia de análisis que propone la tesis de imposibilidad del cierre de todo orden político, problematizando así categorías como las de: representación, hegemonía, nación, sociedad, entre otros, que carecen de una esencia articulatoria fija. Los teóricos estudiados que sostienen la presente tesis, fueron Ernesto Laclau y Benjamín Arditi. Se analizaron selectivamente los discursos de los referentes políticos del Partido Colorado como Natalicio González y Juan E O’Leary sin descuidar el contexto de emergencia histórico de las mismos para luego deconstruir los discursos de asunción presidencial de los presidentes electos entre 1989 al 2008 de manera transversal. Entre lo más relevante del análisis de los discursos se ha constatado la vigencia y reproducción del discurso nacionalista en el discurso de los representantes políticos dentro del periodo citado como una de las claves interpretativas para entender el comportamiento político de la sociedad paraguaya.

Agriculture and commerce activities make up a significant part of Paraguay’s economy. The success of these sectors is important for Paraguay’s continued development in rural areas where agriculture activities are most prevalent and nonagriculture activities are increasing in demand. Current literature indicates many factors that contribute to success in both business and farming operations; however, little information is available regarding the perception of young entrepreneurs and farmers. Paraguay’s young population will need more employment opportunities, many of which may come from new start-up operations. The purpose of this study was to identify attributes and perceptions that affect perceived barriers to business and farming operations in rural areas of Paraguay. This study examined young would-be entrepreneurs and agricultural producers participating in entrepreneurial courses and agribusiness leadership workshops, respectively. Two surveys (small-business and small-farm) were administered to the respective groups. Respondents were asked to share their perceptions of common business factors that might or might not contribute to small-enterprise success, along with demographic and characteristic questions. Results of mean test-statistic comparison show that some significant differences exist between the two groups. Some of the most notable differences were larger average family size in the small-farm group, more female participation in the small-business group, a greater average of secondary and postsecondary education in the small-business group, and more respondents reporting more past-experience in the small-farm group. Combining both survey observations and analyzing them with ordered logit models, results suggest that education, training, and past-experience hold a negative correlation with perceived barriers-to-entry to business and farm operations. As education and experience increase, perceptions of barrier factors decrease. This analysis also finds that people who are employed in the private sector are more likely to perceive capital as a barrier-to-entry; whereas land and access to property is more likely to be viewed as a larger hurdle in the agriculture sector. Educating, training and providing experience to young would-be entrepreneurs and farm operators will improve perceptions of business entry. Future research might include perceptions of current government and nonprofit organization programs and initiatives, to better analyze the effectiveness of such rural development efforts.

Le présent texte est un aperçu du processus démocratique du Paraguay depuis la perspective de la société civile et à partir de la fin des années 80. Le cadre théorique est celui des études de la transition et un bref rappel historique du pays en question est apporté pour mieux saisir les enjeux locaux de la démocratisation. L'hypothèse émise est celle d'une société civile faible malgré son fort développement et son incapacité à influencer l'Etat vers des changements nécessaires pour l'enracinement de la démocratie. L'analyse de la société civile paraguayenne permet de mettre en évidence un certain nombre d'éléments et de caractéristiques de cette démocratisation. En effet, le fait que la transition se soit effectuée sans une alternance politique au pouvoir et que le parti colorado soit ainsi demeuré à la direction du gouvernement après 35 ans de dictature, a permis de conserver des aspects « hérités » du régime dictatorial de Stroessner. Nous avons tenté de comprendre pourquoi la société civile ne réussit pas à influencer les gouvernements successifs pour qu'ils prennent des initiatives qui renforceraient la démocratie. Ainsi, nous nous sommes retrouvés face à un Etat opaque, défendu par une classe politique accrochée au pouvoir et déterminée à défendre des intérêts particuliers. Nos conclusions vont donc dans le sens de l'hypothèse émise, tout en précisant certaines nuances, car cette faiblesse de la société civile est relative face à l'imperméabilité de l'Etat. Par ailleurs, les mobilisations dont la société civile paraguayenne a été protagoniste lors des crises des années 90 ont montré un fort engagement en faveur des valeurs démocratiques et un signe clair pour un non retour vers l'autoritarisme. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Paraguay, Transition, Démocratisation, Société civile, État.

This essay has investigated the question of an ongoing language shift from Plattdeutsch and German to Spanish among the Mennonites in Paraguay and the role of the school in this process. The aims of the study were to compare the use of languages among the Mennonites in Asuncion and in the Menno colony and to identify the importance that parents give to the languages and to compare this with a school leader perspective. The aim was also to identify factors that influence the language shift and identify the influence that the shift excerpts on Mennonite values and identity. The results are based on my own observations, interviews with Mennonite women and interviews with key informants who have insight into the school policy issues. The outcome may be used as a basis for educational and language planning. There is a need to consciously sit down and re-define the Mennonite identity and to make the community and the school aware of their responsibility in language maintenance.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Bryn Mawr college. / Bibliography; p. 145-152.

This creative project consists of the design of a Master Plan for the Mbaracaju Forest Reserve, a 143,000 acre site in eastern Paraguay which is part of the devastated Atlantic Forest , an area requiring urgent conservation action. This creative project adresses site inventory and analysis, programming, land uses, site specific facility development guidelines, and three Master Plan Alternatives. The Master Plan seeks to support environmental preservation, sustainable development, and environmental education. The hypothesis of this project is that preservation and environmentally sound use of the Reserve are possible through a Master Plan that responds to the sensitivity of the various areas and its management, and to an activities program oriented towards global preservation. The Incorporation of the traditional inhabitants of the land as active participants in the Master Plan will serve as an example for Paraguay and for the world. This Master Plan, which will promote environmental preservation and biological diversity, will benefit the inhabitants of the Reserve, of Paraguay, and from around the world. For this report to the Graduate Office at Ball State University there are included the major aspects of the Master Plan. It is important to clarify that the whole report, which has 200 pages, is available in the lybrary of the College of Architecture and Planning. / Department of Landscape Architecture

Internet and new communication technologies have drastically changed the way we send and receive messages, changing also the professions engaged in the gathering and diffusion of information. The Internet is by many presumed to have had a democratising effect on journalism, as it can be used to spread counter-hegemonic information and dismantle false objectivity (Castells, 2009, Rodriguez 2012). In this thesis, I examine this assumption by targeting one example of alternative journalism practice online. Through a case study of Paraguayan independent news site E’a, the thesis investigates how digital media affects newsroom structures and organisation as well as the role and objectives of the journalists. Previous theories and research on old and new alternative media, offered by scholars such as Susan Forde, Chris Atton, Leah A. Lievrouw, Olga Guedes Bailey, Bart Cammaerts and Nico Carpentier, are set against the voices of the practitioners producing E’a in this qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews. The thesis comes to the conclusion, that the Internet brings both benefits and drawbacks in the case of E’a. As a cheap way of publishing news, the digital platform serves as a lifebuoy for a project with a very limited commercial base. But the low Internet access in the country (and therefore presumed low impact of the project) and the change in organizational structure (web journalism resulting in a less collaborative form of working) leave the majority of the practitioners with network pessimism and a growing desire offline. Potential future research could look closer at alternative newscontent online, how it is perceived by the readers, as well as group dynamics and gendered participation in the digital era.

This is a study of the early colonial period of the Río de la Plata from first contact in 1516 to the emergence of a predominantly mestizo population in Asunción by 1580. The central focus of the study is the period from 1537, when Spaniards founded Asunción in the territories of the Guaraní-speaking Carios, until the establishment of the encomienda, a colonial labour system, in 1556. Through a close reading of archival documents and chronicles, the study presents a narrative history of the transcultural dynamics of Spanish-Guaraní relations, including the convergence of kinship and alliances, cacique and conquistador rivalries, competing spiritual beliefs of shamanism and Catholicism, and the role of castaways, lenguas (interpreters) indigenous women, priests, and mestizos as intermediaries. How these transcultural dynamics were dominated by indigenous norms until 1556, and how they shaped the cultural, social, and spiritual dimensions of mestizaje (racial mixing) are analysed. The study covers key moments in the conquest and early colonial period. These include Sebastián Caboto’s exploration of the Río de la Plata from 1527 to 1529; Pedro de Mendoza’s armada to the Río de la Plata in 1535 that led to the founding of Asunción in 1537 and the first governorship of Domingo Martínez de Irala from 1539 to 1542; the rule of Asunción by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca as adelantado from 1542 to 1544; and Domingo Martínez de Irala’s second governorship of the region from 1544 to 1556. An in-depth examination of the establishment of the encomienda is undertaken to consider how cultural identification, social status, and ethnic distinctions were reconfigured between the Cario and other Guaraní-speaking groups, the Spanish, and mestizos after 1556. The study concludes with an analysis of the Oberá Rebellion of 1579-80 as an example of how kinship and warrior norms, Christianity, and shamanistic practices converged in indigenous resistance to colonial rule.

This is a study of the early colonial period of the Río de la Plata from first contact in 1516 to the emergence of a predominantly mestizo population in Asunción by 1580. The central focus of the study is the period from 1537, when Spaniards founded Asunción in the territories of the Guaraní-speaking Carios, until the establishment of the encomienda, a colonial labour system, in 1556. Through a close reading of archival documents and chronicles, the study presents a narrative history of the transcultural dynamics of Spanish-Guaraní relations, including the convergence of kinship and alliances, cacique and conquistador rivalries, competing spiritual beliefs of shamanism and Catholicism, and the role of castaways, lenguas (interpreters) indigenous women, priests, and mestizos as intermediaries. How these transcultural dynamics were dominated by indigenous norms until 1556, and how they shaped the cultural, social, and spiritual dimensions of mestizaje (racial mixing) are analysed. The study covers key moments in the conquest and early colonial period. These include Sebastián Caboto’s exploration of the Río de la Plata from 1527 to 1529; Pedro de Mendoza’s armada to the Río de la Plata in 1535 that led to the founding of Asunción in 1537 and the first governorship of Domingo Martínez de Irala from 1539 to 1542; the rule of Asunción by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca as adelantado from 1542 to 1544; and Domingo Martínez de Irala’s second governorship of the region from 1544 to 1556. An in-depth examination of the establishment of the encomienda is undertaken to consider how cultural identification, social status, and ethnic distinctions were reconfigured between the Cario and other Guaraní-speaking groups, the Spanish, and mestizos after 1556. The study concludes with an analysis of the Oberá Rebellion of 1579-80 as an example of how kinship and warrior norms, Christianity, and shamanistic practices converged in indigenous resistance to colonial rule.