Resumen

MACLEAN, Kate. No ordinary city: What critical urban theory can learn from La Paz (Bolivia). J. Com. Soc. [online]. 2017, vol.5, n.5, pp. 15-48. ISSN 2412-5733.

This article explores how the city of La Paz has changed as a result of the emergence of the “chola bourgeoisie” in Bolivia - people who work largely in informal commerce and who have been particularly benefited by the triplicate of Bolivia’s GDP during the last ten years. The increase in wealth in established informal markets in La Paz has been such that families whose residence and livelihoods are based in marginal areas of the city are now investing in property in the luxurious neighborhood of the ‘Southern Zone’. This study case can be read as an example of the global phenomenon of gentrification, although it requires a strong empirical basis in the local constructions of class, race and poverty. However, I argue that a deeper critique of the theories used to analyze urban changes are necessary to capture the political, economic, and cultural complexities of recent changes in La Paz.

Palabras llave : City; social mobility; ”chola” bourgeoisie; La Paz; critical urban theory.