Abstract

Much has been written on the turn to the left in Latin America, while work on the right has been sparse, and most of that party focused. Taking a novel political sociology approach, targeting civil society and political actors, and placing findings in wider contexts of hegemony, democratization and globalization this article seeks to help remedy this situation. Using 63 interviews on state-market relations and class, gender and race inequalities in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Venezuela, findings show a strong emphasis on poverty relief and commitment to democratic institutionalism. Nevertheless, these are tempered with pro-market ideological rigidities and a negation of structural inequalities, signalling possible negative impacts in terms of consensus building and democratization. Outcomes will depend on hegemonic struggles within the right, and at a national and global, particularly North Atlantic, level.