Through the looking glass, darkly: the Neoliberal Hegemonic project viewed from the perspective of pluralist labour relations in the Southern Cone

Abstract

This paper argues that the authoritarian experiments of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s dramatically lowered the material and ideological thresholds of subordinate group consent to present-day dominant class hegemonic projects. By using severe economic and physical oppression to reduce the material and political expectations of lower and working class groups, the departed authoritarian regimes not only promoted subordinate group disarticulation and atomisation: they essentially swept the economic and political landscape clean of militantly counter-hegemonic subordinate group strategies while simultaneously reforging coalitions of new entrepreneurial elites dedicated to fundamentally reordering the composition and character of their national economies.1

The original version of this paper was presented at the Latin American Studies International Congress, Atlanta, Ga., March 1992. Since both of us were involved in practical politics at the time, we left the project dormant for a few years. Informed by the critiques of several colleagues, Buchanan updated and revised the thrust of the article. Putnam continued doing real politics, although she retained ultimate editorial authority. It should go without saying that the authors are solely responsible for the finished product. It should also go without saying that we stand by the original conclusions drawn seven years ago. We are indebted to Raymond Ruga for assistance in collecting statistical data.

The original version of this paper was presented at the Latin American Studies International Congress, Atlanta, Ga., March 1992. Since both of us were involved in practical politics at the time, we left the project dormant for a few years. Informed by the critiques of several colleagues, Buchanan updated and revised the thrust of the article. Putnam continued doing real politics, although she retained ultimate editorial authority. It should go without saying that the authors are solely responsible for the finished product. It should also go without saying that we stand by the original conclusions drawn seven years ago. We are indebted to Raymond Ruga for assistance in collecting statistical data.

Notes

The original version of this paper was presented at the Latin American Studies International Congress, Atlanta, Ga., March 1992. Since both of us were involved in practical politics at the time, we left the project dormant for a few years. Informed by the critiques of several colleagues, Buchanan updated and revised the thrust of the article. Putnam continued doing real politics, although she retained ultimate editorial authority. It should go without saying that the authors are solely responsible for the finished product. It should also go without saying that we stand by the original conclusions drawn seven years ago. We are indebted to Raymond Ruga for assistance in collecting statistical data.