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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

civil society, Círculos Bolivarianos, Bolivarian Circles, Venezuelan, Chavez

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Political Science

Abstract

An important topic in political science is the role of civil society, voluntary organizations separate from the family and the state, in creating a democratic and pluralistic society that is able to effectively organize citizen participation to work through disagreement and conflicting interests in a peaceful manner. Social scientists are also engaged in the study of charismatic leaders and their effects upon political discourse, societal organization, and economic structure. Because a charismatic leader’s appeal arises primarily from his ability to gain the faith of followers that he embodies the will of the people, one important source of information about the movements these leaders create comes from the statements and actions of their members. Unfortunately, however, few have undertaken to interview the participants in a charismatic political movement while the movement was still in progress. In the summer of 2004, I had a unique opportunity to work with Dr. Kirk Hawkins to investigate some civil society organizations embedded in a charismatic movement: Venezuela’s Bolivarian Circles, the principal grassroots organization in controversial President Hugo Chavez’s Bolivarian movement.

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