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Decoloniality and Political Rationality of the Union of South American Nations
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- Author / Creator
- Vergara Dávila, Claudia
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In a context of international crisis, regionalism and regionalization are captivating academic attention as instruments for change. I aim to answer a main question: Does the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) entail a transformative exercise of government in this region? Also, what does the characterization of UNASUR as ―postneoliberal‖ imply and how is it formulated? This critical theoretical study draws on governmentality and decoloniality to evaluate the transformative potentialities and novelty of regionalism and, specifically, UNASUR. This thesis contributes to the knowledge of regionalism first, by assessing determinism and flaws of mainstream regionalism research; second, assessing the shared assumptions underlying the research of UNASUR; third, identifying the South American initiative‘s political rationality and alternative excluded rationalities. Based on the decolonial stance, this thesis concludes that UNASUR‘s political rationality is not transformative. Rather, it may be understood in the context of mainstream regionalism research reproducing the modern/colonial matrix of power.
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- Subjects / Keywords
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- Graduation date
- Fall 2012
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- Type of Item
- Thesis
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- Degree
- Master of Arts
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- License
- This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.