'Latinoamerica' Reflections Around Globalization, State, Nationhood and Development

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyze the relation between state and nation in the light of systemic changes since the late 1980s; a period of time that has been generally identified with the word ‘globalization’. This concept is still a rather loose one that does not yet define an established system, but rather, a period of rapid changes in the transformation of the global capitalist system. Two major changes that we want to point out are: a) the emergence of the United Nations System in 1945; and b) the end of bipolarity after the Cold War, with the strengthening of new global ‘spheres of authority’ made up by markets, multilateral entities, international organizations and new forms of global networks. There are also lines of continuity where one of the most relevant is the maintenance of the nation-state as a central pillar of the system. Yet, this ‘continuity’ is increasingly eroding, leading to a dilemma which is one of our central tenets: at the same time that the position of nation-states seems to be loosing strength, there is also a growing request for states to take action and solve problems. The hypothesis discussed in this article is that such ‘dilemma’ requires a re-thinking about 'state' and 'nation' in relation to the new geography of international relations. As we see it globalization is forcing all nations to redefine themselves and their state-organizations. Still, the challenge is different for each institutional environment. Albeit current systemic changes might carry a strong homogenizing force, there is also a strong heterogeneity in the way in which different cultures cope with changes. We chose here to analyze this transformation from an always conceptually difficult ‘Latin American’ perspective