The concept of the center-periphery and its situation in social development in Latin America

Abstract

The development of Latin American countries has been conditioned by the demands of international powers, as part of their economic dependence, mainly from the production of raw materials. This commercial economic system is strengthened and legitimized by the colonial structures and practices established in the institutions of the States of the region and their derivation into different social hierarchies, based on concepts of race and culture, related to their capabilities. Subsequently, the social tensions arising from the second half of the twentieth century, led to the generation of comprehensive and inclusive development agreements, with the assessment of the claim and prioritization of rights and opportunities for vulnerable populations, mainly in impoverished regions. However, the formulation of intervention actions for development and inclusion have historically been worked from the notion of center-periphery and colonial structures, so their legitimacy and insertion in the target contexts are inefficient, not achieving sufficient abstraction, which places both parties at the same level of negotiation. Thus, there are different perspectives of analysis and self-action that seek to autonomize internal development, as well as work on the recognition of colonial dynamics within the processes of intervention and social vindication, usually carried out from Western and racialized positions. At present, such understandings have been affected by the emergence of new cultural centralisms of dependence, which configure