It can seem that the major problem that Latin America still faces is the weakness of its state institutions. The states that emerged from the dark years of dictatorship and civil war were weaker than ever. They had succeeded only in spreading distrust and cynicism. And under the neoliberal order, state weakness became ideology. Neoliberals argued that the state should leave things to the “invisible hand” of market mechanisms which, they contended, were always more efficient and reliable.
Today, the situation in Latin America is murkier than it has been for some time. Overall, this volatility may be a sign that we can speak less of linear narratives than of the way in which the unexpected is increasingly to be expected, “outlier” events are more often the norm. Who or what can rule over such exceptions? It is harder than ever to represent tendencies in the region with the broad brush-strokes with which we have been dealing throughout the semester.
13. Towards an Uncertain Future
It can seem that the major problem that Latin America still faces is the weakness of its state institutions.
You should also watch the interview video with Max Cameron as well as the three podcasts for this week, plus student-made videos.
- Alexander Dawson, “Towards an Uncertain Future”. Latin America Since Independence: A History with Primary Sources. 2nd Edition. New York: Routledge, 2014. 359-394.
Note that each chapter of the textbook comes with online resources on the publisher's website. Simply click on the relevant tab for this week's reading.
Documents:
- "Summary of Judgment and Order of Superior Court of Nueva Loja, Aguinda v. ChevronTexaco, No. 2003--0002" (2011). (Dawson 378-386)
- "United States District Court Southern District of New York: Chevron Corporation, plaintiff, against Steven Donziger et. al., defendants." (Dawson 386-393)
COVID-19 in Latin America
The Left Turns
This conversation with Max Cameron (Political Science, UBC) looks at the “left turns” in Latin American politics over the past twenty years, focussing on the cases of Bolivia and Brazil. It also considers the future, and the challenges that our present environmental crisis poses to our idea of democracy.
Into the 21st Century
Alec Dawson (History and International Studies, SFU) discusses challenges that face Latin America in the present, from migration to the environment. Special Guest Star: Bill O’Reilly. Musical guests: Carlos Santana, Rob Thomas, The Beatles, and Public Enemy.
“The Legacy of US Interventionism in Latin America”
“Towards an Uncertain Future”
Hanna Dandarell and Cody Alba:
Venezuela: How We Got Here
Ronnie Daney, Lourdes Kletas, Dorean Lotfazar, Katherine Poole:
Along a Boundary in a Global Age
Alec Dawson (Professor, History and International Studies, Simon Fraser University), author of Latin America Since Independence: A History with Primary Sources, discusses the increasing flows of people and goods, both licit and illicit, in recent decades, with special attention to the ways that these flows have reconfigured boundaries without eliminating them, at least for some people.
This podcast is designed to complement chapter eleven of his textbook.
What Democracy Sounds Like
Alec Dawson (Professor, History and International Studies, Simon Fraser University), author of Latin America Since Independence: A History with Primary Sources, considers the nature of politics in contemporary Latin America by exploring the soundscapes of democracy in the region.
This podcast complements chapter eleven of his textbook.
Left Turns and Holes in the Ground
Alec Dawson (Professor, History and International Studies, Simon Fraser University), author of Latin America Since Independence: A History with Primary Sources, discusses the resurgence of the Latin American Left and the problematic expansion of mining in the region in recent years.
This podcast is designed to complement chapter eleven of his textbook.
- To whom might neoliberalism have appeared attractive, and why? What might be the arguments in its favour?
- Did the "Left Turns" fail? If so, why?
- What do the differing accounts of the "Lago Agrio" dispute tell us about the relationship between the law and politics? Should (or could) the law be beyond politics?
- How do you think that the rise of the Internet (and social media and so on) has affected politics and/or social movements in Latin America?
- Leaders in the "developing world" sometimes complain that the burden of reforms to slow down climate change weighs too heavily on them, rather than on countries that are already "developed." Is this a convincing complaint?
- What do you think is the greatest challenge facing Latin American societies today? What resources might the region have to confront such challenges?
- In all that we have covered in this course, what has most surprised you? Has the course lived up to your expectations? If not, why not?
- What topics (or countries or approaches) have we missed, or passed over too quickly? What would you add to this course? What would you take away?
