Latin American Society Overview

Principles

Definition

Latin american society is a complex and dynamic object of academic inquiry encompassing the social, cultural, political, and economic systems within the geographical region of Latin America and the Caribbean. As a research field, it investigates the historical formation, contemporary structures, and ongoing transformations of these societies, analyzing factors such as colonialism, inequality, identity, development, and regional integration through interdisciplinary lenses including sociology, anthropology, history, and political science. Its significance lies in providing critical understanding of regional complexities and contributing to global social theory.

Ontological type

Development and Inequality

Social Stratification

Historical Formation

Key developments

Key Figures

World-System and Dependency era

Key figures include Raul Prebisch, whose structuralist critique argued that export-led growth and deteriorating terms of trade constrained Latin American development. Andre Gunder Frank argued that dependence within a global capitalist system produced underdevelopment in Latin America by extracting resources and shaping local elites. Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Enzo Faletto in Dependency and Development in Latin America (1969) showed how external dependency interacts with internal social classes and state strategies to mediate uneven development. Immanuel Wallerstein's world-systems analysis and Octavio Ianni's regional extensions linked Latin American society to core-periphery dynamics and urban-cultural transformations within the world-system during this era.

Democratization and Identity Politics era

Aníbal Quijano [1], with affiliations including Binghamton University [2] and Universidade de São Paulo [3] during this era, shaped debates on Latin American thought. His key contribution in this era is the Coloniality of Power and Eurocentrism in Latin America [4], a framework that reframes democratization and identity politics by foregrounding colonial legacies in power and knowledge. This framework explained how democratization involved social mobilization and how persistent hierarchies of knowledge affected policy and inclusion. The emphasis on Coloniality of Power and Eurocentrism in Latin America [4] influenced later comparative political economy approaches, reinforcing the role of cultural mobilization in democratic consolidation.

Coloniality and Extractivism era

Aníbal Quijano [1] is a foundational figure whose work in this era circulated across institutions including Binghamton University [3] and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru [4]. His 2007 COLONIALITY AND MODERNITY/RATIONALITY [7] provided a decolonial framework for understanding how coloniality shapes modern power, knowledge, and governance in Latin America, a contribution that clarified why extractivist political ecologies require critical inquiry in this era. Bryan W. Husted [2] is associated with Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey [5] and the University of San Francisco [6] during this era, reflecting cross-institutional attention to corporate governance in the region. His 2018 Board structure and environmental, social, and governance disclosure in Latin America [8] analyzes governance disclosure as a mechanism for accountability in Latin American corporates, offering important insight into how governance regimes interact with extractivist economies.