From Antagonistic Autonomy to Relational Autonomy: A Theoretical View from the Southern Cone

Abstract

This essay, which is part of a larger project on the subject, seeks to present, analyze and evaluate the “state of the art” around the issue of autonomy in contemporary international relations. The text explains the importance of the idea of ​​autonomy in theoretical terms, as well as recent developments in foreign policy analysis in Latin America. The article highlights the polysemic nature of this notion, while stresses the importance of our region’s contributions in terms of its conceptualization. In that sense, we clarify the differences between autonomy and sovereignty, and specify the regional imprint required in relation to their theoretical treatment and practical foundation. As a result, it tries to establish the significance of autonomy in international studies in Latin America (with special emphasis on South America), while intended to highlight the importance of changes in the conceptualization of that concept at the beginning of a new millennium marked through the process of globalization, the end of the Cold War and the revaluation of integration in the region. Hence, we suggest the relevance, both theoretical and empirical, to move from an autonomy conceived in a more antagonistic to an autonomy defined in a more relational way.