La question de l’électricité dans les discours politiques au Guatemala, après le conflit civil de 1960-1996

Abstract

Linked to a national emancipation project in the 1950s, the electrification of Guatemala is linked to a genocidal policy against the indigenous populations during the civil conflict of 1960-1996. After the peace agreements of 1996, the electricity industry engaged in a process of liberalisation, tried to distance itself from this past by insisting on the innovative aspect of its projects. However, protests about the quality and cost of the distribution service are emerging. They were structured into a national movement at the turn of the 2010s through the Comité de Desarrollo Campesino. This movement, which was born out of the peace process, became the main mobilising force in the country, campaigning for the renationalisation of electrical energy. Based on an analysis of this article shows how the electricity conflict, as a site of an original association of references, symbols and resources, invites to discuss the analytical frameworks of social movements in Guatemala.

Keywords

• social movement
• indigenous
• civil war
• Guatemala
• electricity