Introduction

The introduction addresses the idea of “Latin America” as a constructed concept of transnational and comparative significance. It introduces the reader to the dynamic character of regional perspectives, with questions that have grown increasingly complex given the contested nature of borders, increasing globalization, multiculturalism, and transnational migration. Although diversity defines Latin America, supporting comparative approaches within and beyond its fluid boundaries, it is equally important to note the shared geopolitical, sociological, and cultural trends that have shaped a transnational domain of connected histories, recurrent interactions, and continental visions. These transnational trends have emerged time and again, affecting the nation-states that crystallized in the nineteenth century. It is to the analysis of this Janus face of Latin American development that the book’s chapters turn.

Does the China Trade Pay for Latin America?

Two new books about the China–Latin America relationship reach different conclusions about the implications of growing trade ties for Latin American development. One author argues that countries in the region have had varying success in taking advantage of opportunities created by increasing Chinese engagement, while the other sees old patterns of dependency in the exchange of raw commodities for Chinese manufactured goods.

«Эко-территориальный сдвиг» и новые социальные движения Латинской Америки

Considering the questions of Latin-American development is impossible without taking into account the existing environmental problems of the region. The human impact on the environment gave birth to new challenges, which were initially perceived as a local, but later moved to the global level. The so-called «eco-territorial turn» that we can observe in some Latin American countries was a reaction to the expansion of the neoextractivist policy of the authorities, which support the «Consensus of Commodities». The latter brought new forms of inequality and potential conflicts to the Latin American society. In our opinion, these trends can be seen not only as local forms of the mentioned problems, but also as possible ways to resolve them.