Taylor
Boas, is a Ph.D. candidate in political science,
and will be starting
his seventh year in the program this fall. He
was in Santiago, Chile
to do some concluding research for his dissertation,
which examines the
strategies and techniques of presidential election
campaigns in Chile, Peru,
and Brazil and why these countries have developed
very different national
patterns of campaigning in the decades since their
transitions to democracy.
Taylor writes,
“I
spent three weeks in Santiago, Chile interviewing
campaign managers and strategists. The
most interesting person I talked to on this visit? Probably
Francisco Javier (Pancho) Díaz,
Michelle Bachelet’s speechwriter, who
explained to me in detail the logic behind Bachelet’s “citizen campaign,” emphasizing
her empathy with and support among common people rather
than her ties to political parties. Pancho,
in addition to being one
of the president’s key
communication strategists, is a political science
Ph.D. candidate himself!
One
of my favorite things about returning to Santiago
is the wine. Peru may
have better seafood, Argentina may have better
meat, and Brazil may have
a better national cocktail, but in my opinion,
you cannot beat Chilean
wine. One of my favorite bottles
is Viña Mar Reserva Especial Cabernet
Sauvignon/Carmenère
blend, which sells for 3500 pesos, less than $7. A
wine this good would easily cost three times as
much back home!
It’s
not exported, so drink all you can in Chile and
bring back a bottle or
two. In addition to all
the quality wine you can buy in the stores, many
of the wineries are close to Santiago (a few are
even in the Santiago metropolitan
area and, in theory, accessible by public transit)
and are well
worth a visit. Viña
Mar is in the Valle de Casablanca, less than an hour
from Santiago along the road to Valparaíso,
and I highly recommend eating
lunch in their restaurant before or after your
tour!”
To
talk to Taylor more about his research and travels
in Santiago , you may contact
him at tboas (at) berkeley (.) edu.
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