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Introduction

The Theory and Practice of the Utopian Impulse in Latin America

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The Utopian Impulse in Latin America

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Abstract

As we enter a new decade in the twenty-first century, the relevance of utopia in the contemporary world scenario is undeniable. It is simply impossible to ignore its various manifestations: Barack Obama’s election in 2008, popular uprisings in many Arab countries (Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, among others) against authoritarian regimes, the continued appearance of numerous peace activists in Palestine and Israel, the leadership of leftist governments in Latin America (like Evo Morales’s and Dilma Rousseff’s), and the rise of environmental consciousness are only a few examples of projects for change that have recently occurred.1 In the arts and popular culture, it is interesting to observe the resurgence of a utopian desire to return to pristine, natural, preconquest spaces as a response to the current economic and ecological crisis, such as in the Cirque du Soleil’s Totem (2010) and James Cameron’s Avatar (2009).

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Authors
  1. Kim Beauchesne
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  2. Alessandra Santos
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Kim Beauchesne Alessandra Santos

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© 2011 Kim Beauchesne and Alessandra Santos

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Beauchesne, K., Santos, A. (2011). Introduction. In: Beauchesne, K., Santos, A. (eds) The Utopian Impulse in Latin America. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230339613_1

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