Abstract
Perhaps in a manner like no other region, South America has been portrayed as a typical and particular case of a semi-peripheral area configurated by decades of populist governments, developmentalist experiences, debt crises and neoliberal adjustments. Reflecting the core assumptions of modernisation studies and permeated by Cold War interests, the central points of reference are the Brazilian and Argentinean experiences. The experiences of these countries nurture a portrayal in which the region appears delinked from the international order, either passive or reactive in its responses to global transformations as a result of persistent domestic problematic. Within this mainstream framework, the academic riddle seems to answer why a region, blessed with all kind of natural resources, lacking racial, religious or serious ethnic differences, has failed to create a stable capitalist order since its independence from Portugal and Spain (Piñera, 2003). Or why has its political economy historically been shifting from inward to outward-oriented experiences of development (Saad-Filho et al., 2007)?
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2009 Ernesto Vivares
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Vivares, E. (2009). The South American Semi-Periphery: Brazil and Argentina. In: Worth, O., Moore, P. (eds) Globalization and the ‘New’ Semi-Peripheries. International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230245167_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230245167_5
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-30624-4
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-24516-7
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)