Title: The politics of the barrios of Venezuela.

POPLINE Document Number: 018155

Author(s):

Ray TF

Source citation:

Berkeley, California, University of California Press, 1969. 211 p.

Abstract:

In the barrios--the squatter settlements--clustered in and around every city in Venezuela live most of the hundreds of thousands of poor peasants who have migrated to the cities from rural areas during the last 25 years. This study provides background information regarding this migration and examines the physical, economic, and social conditions of the barrios; analyzes the political behavior and attitudes of the barrio residents, describing how these people have been affected by the urban environment and particularly by the process of modernization, by the municipal and state governments, and by the political parties; assesses the role that the barrios have played in national politics; and reviews certain problems related to their current political status. The study is an outgrowth of work over the 1961-64 period with a private, nonprofit, urban community development organization called ACCION en Venezuela. There were 4 main sources for the material on which the study is based: observations of the daily political behavior of the barrio residents; innumerable conversations with men and women of the barrios along with officials, social workers, and other outsiders who were in contact with barrio residents; the project reports of the ACCION workers; and individual censuses taken by barrio leaders in conjunction with ACCION workers. The number of inhabitants of most barrios ranges between 1500-2500. The density of population varies considerably. When one compares the living conditions of families in different barrios, it is clear that some have been more fortunate than others. Their private and community facilites are in widely varying stages of development. The 2 factors most responsible for the variations are the terrain on which a particular barrio is built and the age of the barrio. The Revolution of January 1958 ushered in a new and totally unprecedented phase of barrio development. Restrictions on land settlement were immediately lifted, and families poured out of their crowded ranchos to grab vacant land on the outskirts of the cities as quickly as possible. The process by which a barrio is formed determines to a high degree the subsequent political life and activities of the residents. Most of the factors which later play an important role in community affairs are introduced at the inception of a barrio. With a few exceptions, barrios are created by the illegal possession of public or private land--a mass movement popularly termed an "invasion." In some instances, the settlement process is slow and may take several months to complete, but in most barrios created since 1958 the settlement may take several months to complete, but in most barrios created since 1958 the settlement process is completed within a few days. As the barrio people are increasingly affected by the process of modernization taking place in their various cities, social and economic differences develop among them. One can detect a definite evolution of the political convictions of the barrio people as they come increasingly under the influence of modernization and industrialization.

Keywords:

Venezuela
Latin America
South America
North America
Americas
Rural-Urban Migration
Migration, Internal
Urban Population
Residence Characteristics
Political Factors
Squatters
Political Systems
Social Change
Poverty
Settlement and Resettlement
Developing Countries
South America, Northern
Developed Countries
Migration
Population Dynamics
Demographic Factors
Population
Population Characteristics
Population Distribution
Geographic Factors
Socioeconomic Factors
Economic Factors