The Contribution of Hugo Chavez to an Understanding of Post-Neoliberalism
Latin American Perspectives: A Journal on Capitalism and Socialism
Published online on July 01, 2016
Abstract
When Hugo Chávez was president, he pronounced the death of many things—the constitution, the old "partyarchy," Venezuela’s "Fourth Republic," and the Free Trade Area of the Americas, among others. Since his own death in 2013, scholars, activists, and citizens have contributed to a rich discussion of his legacy. Part of that legacy is an understanding of post-neoliberalism that recognizes its competing and contradictory components, some of them seeking to complement, improve, and reverse neoliberal policies or overcome neoliberal logics and others constituting important remnants of neoliberalism.
Durante su presidencia, Hugo Chávez declaró la muerte de muchas cosas: la constitución, el viejo partiarcado, la Cuarta República de Venezuela y el Tratado de Libre Comercio de las Américas, entre otros. Desde su muerte en 2013, un grupo variado de estudiosos, activistas y ciudadanos ha llevado a cabo una rica discusión sobre su legado. Una parte importante de su legado es el entender que el post-neoliberalismo tiene componentes contrapuestos y contradictorios, y reconocer que algunos de ellos buscan complementar, mejorar y revertir las políticas neoliberales o superar la lógica neoliberal y otros importantes vestigios constituyentes del neoliberalismo.