Social Countermovement (1998–2012)

Abstract

As various elements within society across Latin America reacted against the free-market policies of the previous era, so a vigorous countermovement began to take shape reacting against the effects of marketization. The outcome of this process that we might call one of Re-embedding the market under social control (to use Polanyi's terminology) is still uncertain but we can draw some provisional conclusions. The countermovements took different shapes and not all were politically progressive, but they all undermined the notion that the market can simply impose its logic on society. The next section on Popular Reaction examines the various facets of the social countermovements, their main activities, and emerging values. In particular, we explore the theme raised first by Mariátegui, namely that of the indigenous practices of reciprocity and collective solidarity and consider whether they could be part of a broader movement to create a society no longer dominated by the market. Our next section on the rise of the Left Governments describes one of the most notable features of the 2000s, especially from an international perspective when so much of the world was slipping into reactionary political models. We need to unpack the variety of Left governments that emerged given that they have very different origins and political dynamics.