Research Idea: Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution

I am interested in researching the life of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, and how his experiences and politics shaped Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution. Chavez is an interesting and controversial figure, and the central role of his personality in Venezuelan reforms makes a biographical project on him valuable for building an understanding of (roughly) the last 30 years of Venezuela’s history. I have studied and enjoyed working on Venezuela before, but have not had a chance to really investigate key personalities in the nation’s modern History. Chavez seems like an excellent way to deepen my knowledge. In Chavez’s case, there is also a discussion to be had of perceptions and roles attributed to gender. Chavez is often characterized as a kind of reminiscent of Caudillos, due to his military background and cultivation of personal machismo. My focus would be on Chavez himself, with some conclusions potentially on the wider context of Venezuela’s history.