CAPITALIST DYNAMICS, DEMOCRATIC CRISIS, AND SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICTS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: PAST, PRESENT, AND PROSPECTS
Abstract
Since the last quarter of the 20th century, we have witnessed a phase of capitalist accumulation characterized by increasing demands placed by developed nations upon dependent ones—regarding both raw materials and consumer goods—a trend reflected in the widespread adoption of an extractivist-export model. In the 21st century, these dynamics, while not entirely new, unfold within a context of hegemonic struggle. This has significant consequences for Latin America and the Caribbean, including deepened dependency, the intensification of neo-extractivism, the exploitation of peoples and nature, the repression and criminalization of social conflict, an ecological crisis, and threats to democracy posed by the rise of far-right political movements. Based on this, we aim to examine the dependent nature of Latin America and the Caribbean during the 20th and 21st centuries and their integration into the global capitalist market. We will analyze the resulting economic, social, environmental, and political impacts—as well as those stemming from conflicts between major powers—and identify the local and international actors involved. Given the scope and complexity of these dynamics, we adopt a holistic approach, proposing an interdisciplinary project that fosters dialogue among fields such as history, sociology, international relations, economics, and anthropology, while employing methodological and theoretical triangulation.
Director: Paula Daniela Fernández
Project período: 3/2/2025–present
FOREIGN CAPITAL, EXTRACTIVISM AND SOCIAL CONFLICT IN CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBE (1990-2018)
Abstract
Since the late 20th century, we have witnessed the rise of an extractivist model of accumulation, unfolding alongside the ascent of neoliberalism and the “re-primarization” of Latin American economies. Central America and the Caribbean are no exception to this phenomenon; this trend is linked not only to shifts within the capitalist system since the close of the last century but also to the region’s significance regarding sociocultural diversity and natural resources. Furthermore, the region possesses mineral, energy, and water resources; these assets—combined with its role as a bridge between South and North America, as well as between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean—endow it with great geopolitical importance.
The exploitation of local resources and the implementation of the extractivist model have been driven by the activities of domestic and foreign companies, backed by local states. At the same time, populations affected by this model have staged numerous marches and protests, which have been met with the criminalization, judicial prosecution, and state-led repression of social conflict.
Accordingly, this proposal aims to analyze the dynamics of foreign capital in Central America and the Caribbean, as well as the political, economic, and socio-environmental impacts of the intensified extractivist model in the region between 1990 and 2018.
Director: Paula Daniela Fernández
Project period: 8/1/2018 to 8/1/2024
TRANSNATIONALIZATION OF CAPITAL, STATE AND DOMINANT CLASSE IN CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (1982-2015)
Abstract
This research project is part of a series of questions that pose in relation to the economic-social structure and the incidence of political instances in the countries of Central America and the Caribbean, and proposes to identify, analyze and explain the processes of economic transnationalization in the region, examining in detail the implications of this configuration both at the economic and social level and in the game of interests and internal and external public decision-making.
This project covers the period 1982-2015, and is decided from the beginning of the Latin American crisis to the present.
Director: Paula Daniela Fernández
Project period: 05/01/2015 to 05/01/2019