Abstract

SOLER, Lorena. Populism of the 21st Century in Latin America. E&c [online]. 2020, vol.1, n.10, pp.17-36. ISSN 2477-9245.  https://doi.org/10.37228/estado_comunes.v1.n10.2020.146.

This paper analyses, from a historical sociology perspective and under the category of populism, the governments that emerged in the region in the early 2000s. It begins with the assumption that in Venezuela (1999-2013), Argentina (2003-2015), Brazil (2003-2016), Bolivia (2006), and Ecuador (2007-2017) coexisted, in a contradictory manner and in the context of the commodities’ boom, a propensity to political and social inclusion with a economic deal with agribusiness, industry, and extractivism (mining and oil). The researcher’s argument suggests that thepopulismcategory, compared to other concepts -progressive, leftist governments of the 21st century- captures more accurately the complexity of the historical experiences under study. This paper later presents statistical data to imply that these governments democratized social, political and economic participation and produced more egalitarian social order. This research is organized in three sections. The first makes use the latest literature on the subject to re-think the nature of social order in the region at the turn of the century. The second and third sections revise the populist experiences of the 21st century and present empirical information. Finally, it presents a succinct balance that is open to further discussion.

Keywords : populism; South America; social change; 21th century; democratization; social inclusion; and political participation..

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