Radical Americas: A Hemispheric History of the Left

Abstract

This article argues that a transnational methodological approach is crucial to understanding the development of the radical Left across the hemisphere throughout the twentieth century. Historical accounts of the Left in the Americas typically divide their subject according to temporal, geographic, and ideological boundaries. This approach accentuates ruptures and ideological divisions while underemphasizing underlying continuities and broader historical trends. By synthesizing a hemispheric history of the Left in a new periodization that stretches from early regional anarchist networks through the rise and fall of the Pink Tide, this article demonstrates how a transnational approach enables a richer understanding of the historical developments underlying recent social movements and political upheavals. An emphasis on transnational networks encourages readers to identify not with our imperialist government but rather with alternative histories of grassroots solidarity and cooperation across borders. This framework provides a mode of engagement that decenters the importance of nation-states and focuses instead on the actions of ordinary people struggling to build a new world.