Bottom-Up Democracies, Cannibal Capitalism and the Eclipse of Democratic Hope: Latin America between 2001 and the Trumpian Present
This article offers a historical and critical rereading of bottom-up democracies in Latin America through two emblematic early twenty-first-century experiences: the Zapatista Army of National Liberation in Mexico and the citizen-led Flag-Washing Movement in Peru. These cases are situated within the...
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Universidad Nacional de Rosario
2026
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| Acceso en línea: | https://relasp.unr.edu.ar/index.php/revista/article/view/176 |
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I15-R205-article-1762026-04-27T03:44:49Z Bottom-Up Democracies, Cannibal Capitalism and the Eclipse of Democratic Hope: Latin America between 2001 and the Trumpian Present Democracias desde abajo, capitalismo caníbal y eclipse de la esperanza democrática : América Latina entre 2001 y el presente trumpiano Luque Brazán, José Carlos Bautista Salgado, América Guadalupe García Sánchez, María del Rocío Democracias desde abajo neoliberalismo capitalismo caníbal derechos humanos movimientos sociales trumpismo América Latina Bottom-up democracies neoliberalism cannibal capitalism human rights social movements Trumpism Latin America This article offers a historical and critical rereading of bottom-up democracies in Latin America through two emblematic early twenty-first-century experiences: the Zapatista Army of National Liberation in Mexico and the citizen-led Flag-Washing Movement in Peru. These cases are situated within the 1990–2001 cycle, characterized by the imposition of neoliberalism and the centrality of human rights as a democratic horizon. Taking the September 11, 2001 attacks as a global turning point, the article analyzes the shift toward a cannibal and fragmented form of capitalism that has undermined the material and symbolic foundations of democracy. Engaging contemporary critical theory, it argues that the Trumpian present represents a post-democratic mode of governance compatible with the erosion of political life. The article concludes that the current democratic crisis is structural rather than conjunctural, and that early bottom-up democratic experiences provide key insights into both the limits and the fragile possibilities of democratic recomposition today. Este artículo propone una relectura histórica y crítica de las democracias desde abajo en América Latina a partir de dos experiencias emblemáticas del cambio de siglo: el Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional en México y el movimiento ciudadano del Lavado de la Bandera en el Perú. El análisis sitúa estas experiencias en el ciclo histórico 1990–2001, marcado por la imposición del neoliberalismo y la centralidad de los derechos humanos como horizonte democrático. A partir del quiebre global producido por los atentados del 11 de septiembre de 2001, el trabajo examina la transición hacia un capitalismo caníbal y fragmentado que ha erosionado las condiciones materiales y simbólicas de la democracia. En diálogo con la teoría crítica contemporánea, se argumenta que el presente trumpiano expresa una forma post-democrática de gobierno compatible con la destrucción de lo político. El artículo concluye que la crisis actual de la democracia no es coyuntural, sino estructural, y que las experiencias del cambio de siglo permiten comprender tanto sus límites como las posibilidades abiertas —aunque frágiles— de recomposición democrática. Universidad Nacional de Rosario 2026-04-25 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://relasp.unr.edu.ar/index.php/revista/article/view/176 10.35305/rr.v7i11.176 Revista Euro latinoamericana de Análisis Social y Político (RELASP); Vol. 7 Núm. 11 (2025); 157-186 2683-7420 2683-7420 spa https://relasp.unr.edu.ar/index.php/revista/article/view/176/231 Derechos de autor 2026 Revista Euro latinoamericana de Análisis Social y Político (RELASP) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.es |
| institution |
Universidad Nacional de Rosario |
| institution_str |
I-15 |
| repository_str |
R-205 |
| container_title_str |
RELASP |
| language |
Español |
| format |
Artículo revista |
| topic |
Democracias desde abajo neoliberalismo capitalismo caníbal derechos humanos movimientos sociales trumpismo América Latina Bottom-up democracies neoliberalism cannibal capitalism human rights social movements Trumpism Latin America |
| spellingShingle |
Democracias desde abajo neoliberalismo capitalismo caníbal derechos humanos movimientos sociales trumpismo América Latina Bottom-up democracies neoliberalism cannibal capitalism human rights social movements Trumpism Latin America Luque Brazán, José Carlos Bautista Salgado, América Guadalupe García Sánchez, María del Rocío Bottom-Up Democracies, Cannibal Capitalism and the Eclipse of Democratic Hope: Latin America between 2001 and the Trumpian Present |
| topic_facet |
Democracias desde abajo neoliberalismo capitalismo caníbal derechos humanos movimientos sociales trumpismo América Latina Bottom-up democracies neoliberalism cannibal capitalism human rights social movements Trumpism Latin America |
| author |
Luque Brazán, José Carlos Bautista Salgado, América Guadalupe García Sánchez, María del Rocío |
| author_facet |
Luque Brazán, José Carlos Bautista Salgado, América Guadalupe García Sánchez, María del Rocío |
| author_sort |
Luque Brazán, José Carlos |
| title |
Bottom-Up Democracies, Cannibal Capitalism and the Eclipse of Democratic Hope: Latin America between 2001 and the Trumpian Present |
| title_short |
Bottom-Up Democracies, Cannibal Capitalism and the Eclipse of Democratic Hope: Latin America between 2001 and the Trumpian Present |
| title_full |
Bottom-Up Democracies, Cannibal Capitalism and the Eclipse of Democratic Hope: Latin America between 2001 and the Trumpian Present |
| title_fullStr |
Bottom-Up Democracies, Cannibal Capitalism and the Eclipse of Democratic Hope: Latin America between 2001 and the Trumpian Present |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Bottom-Up Democracies, Cannibal Capitalism and the Eclipse of Democratic Hope: Latin America between 2001 and the Trumpian Present |
| title_sort |
bottom-up democracies, cannibal capitalism and the eclipse of democratic hope: latin america between 2001 and the trumpian present |
| description |
This article offers a historical and critical rereading of bottom-up democracies in Latin America through two emblematic early twenty-first-century experiences: the Zapatista Army of National Liberation in Mexico and the citizen-led Flag-Washing Movement in Peru. These cases are situated within the 1990–2001 cycle, characterized by the imposition of neoliberalism and the centrality of human rights as a democratic horizon. Taking the September 11, 2001 attacks as a global turning point, the article analyzes the shift toward a cannibal and fragmented form of capitalism that has undermined the material and symbolic foundations of democracy. Engaging contemporary critical theory, it argues that the Trumpian present represents a post-democratic mode of governance compatible with the erosion of political life. The article concludes that the current democratic crisis is structural rather than conjunctural, and that early bottom-up democratic experiences provide key insights into both the limits and the fragile possibilities of democratic recomposition today. |
| publisher |
Universidad Nacional de Rosario |
| publishDate |
2026 |
| url |
https://relasp.unr.edu.ar/index.php/revista/article/view/176 |
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