The Last Day of Oppression, and the First Day of the Same: The Politics and Economics of the New Latin American Left

by Jeffery R. Webber

Shortlisted for the 2018 Sussex International Theory Prize Throughout the 2000s Latin America formed the leading edge of antineoliberal resistance. But what is left of the “pink tide” today? How have governments established in its wake related to a changing global economy and a right-wing resurgence? In this penetrating volume, Jeffery Webber traces evolving, often contradictory relationships between left-wing governments and the social movements that propelled them to power.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

Published February 14, 2017

About the author

Dr Jeffery Webber is a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary U. Previously he held an Assistant Professor position in Political Science at the University of Regina, Canada. He has also been a Visiting Research Fellow at the Facultad Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) in Quito, Ecuador, the Centro de Estudios para el Desarrollo Laboral y Agrario (CEDLA) and Centro Boliviano de Estudios Multidisicplinarios (CEBEM) in La Paz, Bolivia, and the International Institute for Research and Education in Amsterdam.

Over the last few years, he has been invited to speak on Latin American Politics, international relations, and social theory at a number of universities across Europe, North America, and Latin America. Dr Webber's PhD is from the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. His dissertation was entitled “Red October: Left-Indigenous Struggles in Modern Bolivia.”

His research interests cut across the disciplines of politics, sociology, international relations, history, and anthropology, with a focus on the following themes: Latin American Political Economy; the Latin American Left (Theory, History, and Practice); Marxism; Imperialism, Hegemony, Empire and Globalisation; Colonialism and Counter-Colonial Struggles; Social Movements, Rebellion, and Revolution; Historical Sociology; and International Political Economy.

Reviews

[Joe Xtarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great resource for understanding the state of Latin American politics and economics. It provides a clear and appropriate analysis, dispelling myths, and reinforcing necessary praise as needed. My only complaint is that it toes the line of being academically stuffy; a little redundant, and bloated at times. However, that didn't prevent me from staying engaged. I would have no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone with the slightest familiarity with Marxist analysis and a basic understanding of global economics.

[James M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A critical look at the Pink Tide governments in Latin America and the limits they ran into. While acknowledging some of their successes, the book shows that these governments failed to challenge the class structure of Latin America, and generally relied on high commodity prices to fund social programs, leading to a turn to the right and towards austerity after the global financial crash. It also criticises this extractivism and it's relationship towards indigenous people.
Webber also uses the concept of the passive revolution to demonstrate the cooptation of radical social movements such as the Left-Indigenous movements in Bolivia from 2000-2005 into the state structure, neutralizing the fundamental challenge the faced to capital