Dependency Theory After Fifty Years – The Continuing Relevance of Latin American Critical Thought

Blurb

This book received the Libertador Prize for Critical Thought (2018), demonstrating a renewal of interest in Dependency Theory. That conception initially included distinct forms of Marxism, liberalism, and developmentalism that should be differentiated, despite sharing the same name. The later retreat of that approach contrasts with the growing present-day relevance of its postulates; Latin America bears the effects of dependency even more acutely than in the past, making it imperative to understand the logic of its peripheral subordination. Dependency Theory in its original form is insufficient for explaining contemporary reality; it must be updated to interpret the current modalities of dependent capitalism. This book offers analytical clues to that reinvention.

This book ist part of the alternative reading list 2022 by Diversifying and Decolonising Economics (D-Econ). The editors comment has been provided by D-Econ and can also be found on the list, which was compiled by Devika Dutt, Danielle Guizzo, and Ingrid Kvangraven.

Comment from our editors:

How has Dependency Theory evolved and transformed itself since the 1950s? How can it offer relevant insights for economists, politicians and the public debate today? In this volume, Katz offers a detailed summary of the foundations, evolutions and approaches of Dependency Theory in Latin America, focusing on the regional interpretations of Marxism, Developmentalism and World-Systems Theory. By touching upon structural issues of colonialism, imperialism, hegemony, power, and dominance, Katz eloquently connects Dependency Theory to the most up to date social issues that Latin America faces, as well as the challenges to overcome its permanently dependent condition under a trap of “subimperialism”. It is a must read for those interested in the contemporary economic and political reality of Latin America and the debates surrounding underdevelopment of peripheral countries.