Nationalism, Populism, and Globalization in 21st-Century Latin America
The contemporary debate on democracy cannot be separated from the complex interplay between nationalism, populism, and globalization. The chapter “Nationalism, Populism, and Globalization in 21st Century Latin America” situates these dynamics within a long intellectual tradition, while offering a framework to understand the region’s present transformations.
Populism as a Variant of Nationalism
The author advances a provocative thesis: populism should be regarded as a form of nationalism. While nationalism historically precedes populism, in the 21st century the two have become inseparable. The concept of populist nationalism (PN) captures this convergence, in which the language of “the people” and the defense of sovereignty become inseparable from nationalist discourse.
This interpretation resonates with earlier debates on the nature of populism. Margaret Canovan (1999) described populism as a “shadow” cast by democracy, while Mudde and Rovira Kaltwasser (2012) classified it as a “thin-centered ideology” that requires attachment to broader frameworks. By reframing populism as nationalism in practice, the chapter situates Latin America at the heart of this theoretical debate.
Globalization as Catalyst and Adversary
Globalization appears in the analysis not merely as economic integration but as a transformational disruption. The adoption of neoliberal reforms in the 1990s, structural adjustment programs, and the uneven insertion of Latin America into global markets generated widespread dislocation. Public opinion surveys cited in the study reveal that citizens perceive globalization as an external threat to national autonomy.
Populist nationalism thus emerges as a defensive response, one that channels discontent toward supranational institutions (IMF, World Bank) and foreign powers, while promising to restore dignity through the language of the nation.
Democratic Consequences
The paper raises critical questions regarding the compatibility of PN with democracy. Although nationalist-populist leaders are elected through democratic means, they frequently pursue strategies that centralize authority, modify constitutions, and weaken institutional checks. This ambivalence situates PN at the intersection between democratic mobilization and democratic erosion.
Historical and Comparative Reach
Latin America has long served as a crucible for nationalist-populist experiments, from the caudillos of the 19th century to leaders such as Perón, Chávez, and Morales. The chapter emphasizes continuities in political style—direct rhetoric, personalization of power, and the construction of the “real people” against elites and outsiders.
Importantly, the analysis also situates Latin America within global comparisons. The rise of Trumpism in the United States or Orbán’s Hungary is read not as isolated developments but as parallel expressions of the same populist-nationalist logic first consolidated in Latin America.
The Spanish Extended Version
A more detailed treatment of these arguments appears in the Spanish-language chapter published in ¡Viva la Patria! Nacionalismo y construcción nacional en el mundo iberoamericano (siglos XVIII–XXI), edited by Mariano Esteban de Vega and Raúl Moreno Almendral (Editorial Comares, 2021). That extended version embeds Latin America’s experience in the broader Ibero-American world, combining historical depth with comparative perspective.
Conclusion
The study underscores that populist nationalism is not a passing phenomenon but a structural response to the uncertainties of globalization. By linking contemporary politics with long-standing debates on nationalism, it provides a framework to interpret the challenges of democratic governance in Latin America and beyond. For students and scholars of global studies, the lesson is clear: understanding the resilience of nationalism is indispensable to understanding the future of democracy.
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