Das Erbe des lateinamerikanischen Dependentismo und die Aktualität des Begriffs der Abhängigkeit

Abstract

The article examines the conceptual origins of the dependency issue in Latin America and the formation of dependency theories in the 1960s, and focuses on the social and scientific environment in Chile. First, we identify the intellectual traditions and academic surroundings that provided the basis for the emergence of dependency theories. Second, we depict four working groups which dealt with different aspects of dependency, in order to highlight their institutional setting, as well as the main focus of their investigations. Finally, we conclude by assessing the contribution of dependency theories to Latin American social sciences. We hold that dependency theories have extended and deepened the comprehension of underdevelopment. However, these theories did not consider the problem of academic dependence, a problem which contributed to their own marginalisation. In order to reformulate the dependency paradigm, this omission has to be taken into account.