Varieties of Authoritarianism in Contemporary Latin America

March 20, 2026 - 12:30 pm

Segal Theatre
The Graduate Center, CUNY

 

Latin America has seen a growth of authoritarian governments and movements since 2010. Today across Latin America, numerous countries are facing declining democracy. Some, like Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Venezuela are open autocracies. Others show marked signs of democratic backsliding. These include Mexico, Ecuador, Honduras, Guatemala, Peru, and Argentina. In Chile, a right-wing populist is poised to take power, leading to growing concerns about possible threats to democratic governance there.  In other places far right movements have lost political power but remain politically significant.

This meeting will bring together scholars working on authoritarian and illiberal movements and governments in Latin America and the Caribbean. Conference presenters will share their research and analyze the varied types of authoritarianism in the region today, factors contributing to authoritarian resurgence, and the similarities and differences between right- and left-wing authoritarianism.

 

Bolsonarismo as a Variant of Right-Wing Populism: How is Brazil Different?

This talk examines the global democratic recession and the rise of hybrid regimes in which elected leaders weaken institutions of accountability from within. Focusing on the role of populism, it explores how attacks on the media, courts, anti-corruption bodies, and electoral integrity contribute to democratic erosion. The presentation centers on Bolsonarismo in Brazil, arguing that it represents a distinctive form of right-wing populism in Latin America and the Caribbean, shaped by three defining characteristics that set it apart from comparable cases in the region.

Anthony W. Pereira (Ph.D., Harvard University) is Executive Director and Thomas F. and Carol M. Reese Distinguished Chair in Latin American Studies at the Stone Center for Latin American Studies at Tulane University. His research focuses on authoritarianism and democracy, human rights, public security policy, and international relations in Latin America and the Caribbean. He is the author or editor of several books, including Right-Wing Authoritarianism Within and Beyond Latin America (Routledge, 2023) and Modern Brazil: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2020), and has held academic posts in the U.S., U.K., and Brazil.

 

Varieties of Authoritarianism in Latin America’s Southern Cone

Argentina and Chile have both witnessed the rise of radical right parties with illiberal tendencies during the past two years. This talks describes the governments of Jose Antonio Kast in Chile and Javier Millei in Argentina, seeking to conceptualize new forms of illiberal rule in Latin America.

Jenny Pribble (Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) is Professor of Political Science and Global Studies at the University of Richmond. Her research focuses on Latin American political economy, social policy, and democracy, with particular attention to the institutions and coalitions that shape welfare and redistribution. She is the author of Welfare and Party Politics in Latin America (Cambridge University Press, 2013) and has published in journals such as Latin American Politics and Society and Comparative Political Studies. Her work draws on extensive field research in Chile, Uruguay, and El Salvador.

The Authoritarian Revival in Central America

Jo-Marie Burt (Ph.D., Columbia University) is Associate Professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University and Senior Fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA). Her research focuses on political violence, human rights, and transitional justice in post-conflict societies. She has been a Fulbright Scholar, a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, and President of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA). Her forthcoming book, In Pursuit of Justice in Post-Genocide Guatemala, will be published by the University of California Press. 

 

Varieties of authoritarian strategies in Latin America

This presentation examines Venezuela under Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, and El Salvador under Nayib Bukele. It argues that despite their distinct ideological orientations, these governments adopted similar strategies to undermine democratic institutions. In particular, the talk analyzes how shifting approaches toward non-state armed groups—alternating between collaboration and confrontation—facilitated their authoritarian projects, and how these patterns differ from other cases in the region.

Guillermo Sardi is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at The Graduate Center, CUNY. His research examines the intersection of democratic backsliding, criminal governance, and state extra-legal violence in Latin America. He teaches courses on democracy, conflict, and security studies at Lehman College and Fordham University.

 

Alternative Models of Authoritarianism in the Western Hemisphere

Enrique Desmond Arias is the Director of the Bildner Center for Western Hemisphere Studies and a Professor at The Graduate Center and Baruch College, CUNY. Arias is the author of several influential books, including Criminal Enterprises and Governance in Latin America and Drugs and Democracy in Rio de Janeiro. His research has been published in major journals like Comparative Politics and Political Geography, and has been supported by organizations such as the National Science Foundation. He has also served as a consultant for the United Nations and the Ford Foundation.

 

Moderator: Mark Ungar, Brooklyn College, CUNY

TO REGISTER send email to bildner@gc.cuny.edu