Kingston University – Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

MSc International Political Communication, Advocacy and Campaigning

Political Ritualised Practices: The Coca Leaf as a Discursive Artefact

By Pablo Andres Rivero Morales

CONTENTS

Introduction 5

1.1 Research questions and proposition 8

Chapter Two: Literature Review 9

Chapter Three: Theoretical framework 15

3.1 Representation and Cultural Representations 17

3.2 The construction of artefacts 18

3.3 Ritual: prior considerations 21

3.4 Discourse, politics and ritualised practices 22

Chapter Four: Methodological framework 25

4.1 Researching process 25

4.2 Analysing political ritualised practices 29

Chapter Five: ‘The Historical Error’ 32

5.1 Part one: The dimensions and nexus of the ‘historical error’ 33

5.1.1 Collective memories and the challenge of power 33

5.1.2 Socio-cultural and ritual dimensions of the coca leaf 38

5.1.3 Botanic and economic dimensions of the coca leaf 40

5.2 Part Two: ‘The Historical Error’ and the ritualised performance 44

Conclusions 50

References 52

Bibliography 60

Appendices 66