Interdependent Inequalities in Latin America - desiguALdades.net (Phase 1)

The network on Interdependent Inequalities in Latin America -desiguALdades.net (external link, opens in a new window), is an international, interdisciplinary and multi-institutional research network. It is based at the Latin-American Institute (LAI) of the Freie Universität Berlin, and the Ibero-American Institute (IAI) of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. The spokespersons of the project are therefore Sérgio Costa and Marianne Braig (LAI) and Barbara Göbel (IAI). Two further central institutions are the German Institute for Development Policy (DIE) in Bonn, and the German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA), Hamburg. The research network is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of its funding line for area studies.

desiguALdades.net deals with social inequalities in Latin America characterized by growing global interconnections. About 70 renowned area studies scholars and experts on inequalities in Germany, Europe, and the Americas study the interactions between social inequalities and transregional interdependencies. Through this work they contribute to the further development of research on inequalities in the social sciences.
 

The two central research questions of the network are: (a) To what extent are the possibilities for accessing and redistributing goods and social positions in Latin America characterized not only by local regional and national but also by global and transregional interdependencies? (b) To what extent do transregional figurations of inequality lead to unequal power positions and/or possibilities for interaction, as well as to permanent constraints for the quality of life and development opportunities of affected individuals, social groups or societies?
 

Latin America is especially suited for this research perspective. First, it is characterized by strong social, economic and cultural inequalities. This is a situation that shows a long historical continuity. Second, inequalities in Latin America are significantly affected by transregional interconnections.
 

Another important reason for the regional focus is the particular dynamic and innovation associated with the new Latin American research on inequalities. While German research influenced the discussion on social inequalities from the beginning of the modern social sciences onward, new theoretical perspectives developed in Latin America have not been sufficiently discussed in Europe. A central goal of desiguALdades.net is therefore to encourage a transatlantic dialogue between researchers in Germany and the Americas. With its focus on transregional interdependencies, the network pursues not only a research goal but also a networking goal. It seeks to bring together research areas that have traditionally developed separately, developing new theoretical and methodological perspectives for research on inequalities.

To approach the two research questions presented above, we differentiate among various dimensions of inequalities: I. socio-economic dimensions of inequality, II. socio-political dimensions, and III. socio-ecological dimensions. Each research dimension consists of a group of five to six researchers that work in close interaction with the other research dimensions. Associated researchers and institutions in Germany, Europe and the Americas also form part of the network.
 

The socio-economic dimension of inequality is approached through a structural analytical perspective. In inequality research it is traditionally approached by political economy and sociology as well as through contributions from historiography and the legal sciences. The socio-political dimension of social in equality analyzes power on transregional logics and patterns of perceptions, representations, experiences and the negotiation of inequalities as represented by various approaches in political science, sociology, historiography, and legal sciences. The socio-ecological dimension of inequality takes the environment as a prism of interdependent inequalities. In addition to natural resources knowledge and culture are also taken into account, relating these issues to ongoing discussions within certain approaches in social anthropology, social geography and sociology. The third research dimension (III) on socio-ecological inequalities is coordinated by the Ibero-American Institute.
 

The three research dimensions are connected through a fourth, cross-cutting research dimension that deals systematically with methodological and theoretical questions. Here, the focus is on temporal dimensions and spatial scales as well as on systematizing translocal and transregional interrelationships. 
 

In addition, the Ibero-American Institute coordinates transversal research focusing on knowledge asymmetries.

The network implements a series of formats and uses specific instruments for internationalization and knowledge production. On the one hand it grants doctoral stipends (short and long-term) as well as postdoctoral scholarships. Moreover it finances guest researchers. Yearly conferences, summer schools, development policy seminars and workshops encourage academic exchange and the visibility of the network.