Since the late 1990s Latin America has experienced a turn to the Left, in the electoral arena, and with a rejuvenation of Marxist critiques of political economy. Drawing on the expertise of scholars from around the world this volume offers cutting-edge theoretical explorations of trends in the region, as well as in-depth case studies of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Venezuela.

Susan J. Spronk's profile page

Susan Spronk is associate professor in the School of International Development and Global Studies. Her research focuses on the experience of development in Latin America, more specifically the impact of neoliberalism on the transformation of the state and the rise of anti-privatization movements in the Andean region.

Jeffery R. Webber: is a Lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary, University of London. He splits his time between Canada, Europe, and various countries in Latin America, where he conducts field research. He is the author ofRed October: Left-Indigenous Struggles in Modern Bolivia (2011), and a member of the editorial collective ofLatin American Perspectives.

"This book will define new debates on Latin American political economy. It superbly delivers fine-grained empirical commentary on the composition of working class politics across the region (in Bolivia, Argentina, Venezuela and Brazil), as well as theoretical exposure of the specificities of states and markets within the uneven and combined development of capitalism shaping Latin America. With leading political economists at the helm, this whopper of a book truly brings fresh radical perspectives to bear on the struggles against capitalist power within Latin America. Ignore it at your peril."
?Adam David Morton, University of Sydney and author ofRevolution and State in Modern Mexico: The Political Economy of Uneven Development

"Crisis and Contradiction: Marxist Perspectives on Latin America in the Global Economy is the indispensable source for students, academics and activists interested in the transition to neoliberalism in Latin America. If Latin America is the region in which, perhaps more than any other, the left needs urgently to take an interest, the contributors to this volume have taken up the challenge. They offer a vast, detailed and richly informative survey of recent political and economic developments in Bolivia, Venezuala, Argentina, and elsewhere, and have produced a volume which will serve both as a testament to the vitality of the left in Latin America, and a proof of the excellence of Marxist scholarship on the region. Susan Spronk's and Jeffery R. Webber's book is the finest example of its kind to date."
?Alfredo Saad-Filho, SOAS, University of London and author ofThe Value of Marx