Edgardo Lander

Olaf Kaltmeier

Discussing the civilizatory crisis and processes of refeudalization this volume brings into dialogue two of the most creative approaches, in Olaf Kaltmeier and Edgardo Lander, to rethink capitalism in the 21st century. In Part 1, Olaf Kaltmeier, takes issue with the state of social inequality in the region, highlighting the concentration of wealth within the upper 1% of society in Latin America. Comparing the current economic situation with the ancient regime, the discussion centers around the new phenomena like billionaires as president, increased luxury consumption, an emerging culture of distinction, and the intensification of land and spatial segregation. In Part 2, Lander urgently assesses the current state and political legacy of the "Pink Tide" governments in his essay "Crisis of Civilization." Reviewing the past two decades of the new millennium, Lander critiques the failure of these governments to provide alternatives to extractivism and economic dependencies. Finally, Hans-Jürgen Burchardt connects the arguments through interviews where both authors sum their efforts to open the issues to future dialogue. Refeudalization in Latin America provides an accessible and thought-provoking political diagnosis from the Global South which departs from the oft idiosyncratic and cyclical debates of the Global North to offer new vocabulary for social change. It will interest scholars and students of global studies, sociology, and political science.

Political essays by Olaf Kaltmeier and Edgardo Lander

Refeudalization and the Crisis of Civilization

En el contexto de la profunda crisis civilizatoria que vive la humanidad, se da igualmente una severa crisis de las izquierdas en diferentes partes del mundo. Las propuestas alternativas que fueron representadas por los denominados gobiernos progresistas en América Latina, en lo fundamental, fracasaron en términos de los objetivos que se transformadores que se propusieron. La incapacidad de la izquierda »oficial« para reflexionar crítica y autocríticamente sobre estas experiencias impide aprender de éstas, con lo cual no puede sino profundizarse la crisis de dicha izquierda como alternativa al capitalismo y, más ampliamente, a civilización en crisis.

Edgardo Lander

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