Modernization and Politics of Sensibilities in China and Latin America: A Theoretical Review

Theories of modernization in Latin America sought to explain the standard deviation of the evolution of the societies of the region, in relation to the forms of development of European societies. Among the variables that were used to investigate the subject are: the level of economic growth and industrialization, the degree of incorporation of "modern" patterns in social relations and the mode of political organization. In this context, the transformations in consumption, expectations and beliefs around the pattern of predominantly "archaic" societies marked by "traditional" features implied various diagnoses of the politics of the sensitivities in force in those societies.

For many Chinese researchers the achievement of Chinese-style modernization presents significant historical and global impacts. From the 1970s until the late 1990s, China's swift economic expansion was acclaimed by the global community as a remarkable phenomenon. In recent decades, China's advancement in modernization surpasses its remarkable GDP growth rates. As a late-developing nation, China achieved industrialization within decades, unlike the centuries required by developed countries. Unparalleled economic growth has coincided with enduring social stability. It is in this horizon that many maintain que Chinese-style modernization signifies a “novel paradigm for human civilization”.

This proposal seeks to investigate and point out the main coincidences and differences between the Latin American and Chinese theoretical perspectives to explain and evaluate the modernization processes.