Latin America in the vortex of social change: Development and social movement dynamics

摘要

Latin America is caught up in a vortex of social change produced by the complex and conflicting dynamics of capitalist development and the forces of resistance mobilized in or against this process. In this paper I propose to deconstruct and dissect these dynamics. First, I reconstruct three cycles of development and resistance that mark the evolution of capitalism in the region. Second, I review and briefly discuss the advance of resource-seeking 'extractive' capital in the development process. It is argued that this advance is the defining feature of what might be understood as the new geo-economics of capital in the region. The methodology employed is a structural-strategic analysis within a political economy theoretical framework. The study is intended as an empirical and theoretical contribution to the growing literature and debate surrounding an understanding of the contemporary dynamics of capitalist development in Latin America. At issue are the development and resistance dynamics of extractivism. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.