Abstract
Latin American countries have had similar socioeconomic elements in their historical development. Interweaving political, economic, and social spheres, common patterns appear in successive periods of time in which analogous social-economic policies, leading social forces, and ideas concerning the role of the state emerge and fade. Based on these similarities, we can outline a periodization of this historical process. While the political, economic, and social spheres are intertwined and mutually supportive, a nation’s economic agenda is decisive for recognizing the pattern of development in each period. My book analyzes the historical patterns: populism (1940/50–1965), military dictatorships (1970s), ensuing neoliberal democratic governments (1980–2000), and return of populism in a new form called neopopulism (also known as new left, or pink tide) in South America and Mexico (2000–2015). Like from a bird’s perspective, the book shows the common trends of historical development in the region, yet acknowledging the differences between the countries. From the frog’s perspective, it presents detailed analyses of paradigmatic cases to help understand the specific manifestations of the trends in the different countries. A special emphasis of this book is the analysis of the constraints of the world economy during all these periods. Latin America has always been influenced of hegemonic powers: politically, through interventions, agreements, and military pacts; and economically, through direct investments, loans, trade agreements, and multilateral organizations such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Recently, the global constellation has renewed its influence on Latin America with the economic and geopolitical ascent of China.
Presenters
Magda von der Heydtretired, Sociology, Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Latin America, Populism, Military dictatorship, Neoliberalism, Neopopulism, Patterns of development
