Re-Thinking Democracy in the Age of Globalization

What does “democracy” mean in an age of globalization? When economic policies, labor, wages, and markets shift rapidly across the globe, do voters in their countries really have any say in many of the issues that affect their daily lives? Activist Superbarrio, from Mexico, proposed a startling political solution to democratic practice in the age of globalization. He campaigned for President of the U.S. in 1996, arguing that if what happens in the U.S. affects the rest of the Americas, then people from the Americas have the right to vote in U.S. elections, and even run for office. Superbarrio metaphorically launched his hat (or wrestler’s mask) in the ring at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, site of the first primaries. His platform advocating a hemispheric, united, and equitable “America” was endorsed by major scholars and activists throughout the hemisphere.

Caption to photo:
Superbarrio and Diana Taylor at Dartmouth College, 1996

click here to download Superbarrios speech (276 k)

Relevant Case Study: Lucian Gomoll, Laughter, Visibility, & Not Not Beyond Abjection: Margaret Cho's Stand-Up Comedy, as Oscillating Political Performance

*Click on the images below for more