Polarization and democracy in Latin America : legacies of the left turn / Santiago Anria, Kenneth M. Roberts.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Anria, Santiago, Author.

Roberts, Kenneth M., Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Polarization (Social sciences)--Latin America.

Polarization (Social sciences).

Democracy--Latin America.

Democracy.

Political participation--Latin America.

Political participation.

New Left--Latin America.

New Left.

Latin America--Politics and government--21st century.

Latin America.

Latin America--Politics and government--20th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Chicago ; London : University of Chicago Press, 2026.

System Details:

text file PDF

Summary:

An insightful examination of Latin America's contemporary democratic landscape and how it is marked by patterns of polarization and volatility. Although Latin American democracies have shown considerable resilience, today they face new forms of political polarization and instability. These challenges are closely connected to the legacies of the region's "left turn," which sought to transform entrenched inequalities and social hierarchies in the early twenty-first century. Unprecedented in its scope and duration, the left turn reflected an underlying realignment of political contestation in a highly unequal region. Yet despite notable achievements in addressing social needs, leftist parties struggled to deepen democracy by empowering popular majorities, and they faced powerful elite backlashes. Through a comparative analysis of seven South American countries, Santiago Anria and Kenneth M. Roberts trace the different origins and trajectories in power of the populist and social democratic currents that emerged within the left turn. Anria and Roberts argue that today's democratic orders face intensifying polarization and institutional fragility, even where social democratic parties made explicit efforts to build broad coalitions and temper political conflict. They show how activist networks and social movements on the left and the right triggered latent political conflicts and are now reshaping democratic competition and the terms of social inclusion in South American politics.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of illustrations

Introduction. Democracy and polarization in Latin America

Chapter one the left turn, democracy, and dynamics of polarization

Chapter two the social democratic left and the conformist temptation

Chapter three the populist left and the autocratic temptation

Chapter four comparative perspectives

Chapter five Latin America's "new" polarization

Conclusion. Polarization, democracy, and the leftist dilemma

Acknowledgments

Appendix

Notes

References

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (De Gruyter Brill, viewed March 9, 2026).

Other Format:

Print version: Anria, Santiago. Polarization and democracy in Latin America.

ISBN:

9780226847610

0226847616

OCLC:

1576135185

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license