Social Movements and Progressive Governments in Latin America by Tathagathan Ravindran

In this lecture, Dr. Tathagatan Ravindran, an anthropologist based in Colombia, addressed social movements in Latin America at the turn of the century against neoliberal economic policies. These movements were analyzed in terms of their manifestation in popular mobilizations and their culmination in the election of Left governments. The lecture covered topics such as patterns of protests, social movement strategies, the achievements and drawbacks of the Latin American Left, and the relationship between social movements and the new Left governments. It also introduced major theoretical perspectives used to analyze contemporary Latin American sociopolitical dynamics, including Marxism, poststructuralism, radical autonomism, and decolonial theory, all from an interdisciplinary perspective. Comparisons were drawn with social movements and the Left in India and Kerala, offering specific reflections on what the Latin American experience can contribute to the Indian and the Global Left.