The Survival of Non-capitalism

This article explores the importance of non-capitalist space within the global political economy. The issue of how to categorise and understand space in so-called peripheral regions such as Latin America has been a contentious one. Whilst many radical analyses have focused on the dynamics of capitalism in relation to the geography of development, explaining how it has been able to survive and grow, this article makes the case for a more multi-linear theoretical framework with which to view the socio-economic landscape. This is inspired not only by the later writings of Marx but also the specific Marxian class analysis of those involved in Rethinking Marxism. Via a focus on Oaxaca in southern Mexico, this article highlights both the survival and the recreation of spaces of non-capitalism, and provides an argument for why we should consider these to be important for transformative action more broadly, whilst also discussing their potential limitations

Cambios en la percepción de salud en población desplazada por la guerra, Ayacucho, Perú: 1980-2004 Changes in perceived health in war-displaced population, Ayacucho, Peru: 1980-2004

El presente trabajo pretende señalar los cambios operados en la percepción de salud de las poblaciones indígenas desplazadas por razones de guerra de sus comunidades de origen hacia la ciudad de Ayacucho, Perú, en el periodo comprendido de 1980 al año 2004. A través del uso de técnicas etnográficas de investigación se procesó información proporcionada por la población desplazada en la ciudad de Ayacucho sobre la percepción de su salud individual y familiar, considerando tres momentos: la comunidad de origen; durante el desplazamiento y durante el proceso de inserción definitiva a la ciudad una vez terminada la guerra en 1993. Comprobamos que estas poblaciones andinas, indígenas y pobres vivieron históricamente en la exclusión social, sin servicios de salud en sus comunidades de origen y con alta mortalidad infantil y materna. Durante los años iniciales al desplazamiento la vulnerabilidad a la enfermedad, la desnutrición y la muerte fueron mayores. Luego se inicia un proceso de recomposición de una nueva red social que se consolida al finalizar la guerra. En ese momento se modifican favorablemente las condiciones de vida, se regularizan los documentos de identidad y se accede a los servicios y programas de salud. Sin embargo, la salud mental, diferenciada por generaciones, permanecerá ocasionando sufrimiento.<br>The current study aims to show the individual and familiar changes in health patterns suffered by indigenous communities which were displaced from their Andean communities to Ayacucho city, Peru, for war-related political reasons, during the period of 1980 and 2004. Information about health self-perception was collected from displaced farmers living in Ayacucho city, and analyzed by using ethnographic research tools in: origin communities; during the displaced process to town, and during the integration process once the war was over in 1993. It was found out that these poor Andean communities had traditionally lived under severe social exclusion conditions, and were characterized by low access to health services and high childhood and maternal mortality rates. Vulnerability to disease, malnutrition and death reached a higher impact during the early years after the displacement, followed by a reconstructive process in order to set up a new social network. It gets consolidated once the war is over. At that time, life conditions start becoming more favorable, identification documents were regularized, and an improvement in access to health programs and services is detected. These changes also reflected the improvement on health self-perception. Nevertheless, mental health will remain causing distress in every age group of the population