About this Event
Latin American progressivism has often been characterised as a “return of the state” project. In such accounts, the state is usually framed as an arbitrator mediating class interests and social conflict while attempting to deviate from neoliberal mandates. While insightful, these analyses tend to reproduce an instrumentalist view of the state, overemphasise the agency of state managers, and adhere to methodological nationalism.
In this seminar, Dr Enrique Castañón Ballivián will discuss an alternative conjunctural analysis of state intervention using the empirical case of the agrarian capitalism under the MAS government in Bolivia. Building on recent debates in economic geography on the nature of state capitalism, Dr Castañón Ballivián will seek to rearticulate “neo-developmentalism” by focusing on intertwined historical-geographical trajectories and competing agrarian projects at the regional scale. In her discussion of the presentation, Dr Irina Petrova will offer some reflections that can inform a broader discussion with the audience.
This seminar is part of a series fostering dialogue between experts from the Institute of the Americas and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.
Speakers:
Dr Enrique Castañón Ballivián is Associate Professor in Environment and Development at UCL’s Institute of the Americas. He researches the dynamics, theory and politics of agrarian change and environmental governance in Latin America, with a focus on agribusiness expansion and resource politics. Enrique is also an editor of the Journal of Agrarian Change. https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/91230-enrique-castanon-ballivian
Dr Irina Petrova is a Lecturer in the Politics of Eurasia at UCL's School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES). Her research explores the intersection of governance amid global complexity, resilience, and bottom-up approaches to development. She recently completed the project 'Mapping Community-Based Climate Solutions', funded by the UCL Global Engagement Fund (GEF), which examined local communities' climate adaptation practices across Latin America and Central Asia.
Chair: Paulo Drinot
Event venue & nearby stays
Room 103, 51 Gordon Sq, 51 Gordon Square, London, United Kingdom
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.