A state of the art of the study of international relations in Latin America.

摘要

A state of the art account of international relations studies in Latin America was conducted through an examination of IR thinking in the region; an inventory of IR studies programs in seven Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago); an analysis of journal articles selected from five specialized international relations journals in Latin America; and an evaluation of the Joint Studies Program in International Relations in Latin America (RIAL), an academic association dedicated to the consolidation of IR studies in the countries of the region. The study identified the predominance of U.S. approaches to international relations in the IR theory courses taught in the countries under examination, while a considerable degree of theoretical eclecticism was observed in the specialized journal treatments of international problems. It was concluded that although the United States has exercised a central influence upon the ways in which the IR discipline is approached in Latin America, the specific social context in which IR studies have evolved in the region has substantially altered the content of U.S. IR discourse. In consequence, a recommendation for further examination of the sociology of international relations in Latin America is enclosed.