As the debate on modern globalization and political polarization continue, too often, we tend to focus on the big nations, such as China, the United States of America, and France, etc. There is no denying that nations among the Latin America regions contribute to the global economy, too. However, some nations are facing political crisis, as the economic agenda are no longer in place. How should we understand what is happening to those nations today? How should we know that those nations could continue to be accountable for the bigger picture?

Dr. Gabriel Hetland is an associate professor of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latina/o Studies and Sociology (by courtesy) at the University at Albany. He received his PhD in Sociology from UC Berkeley in 2015. Using ethnography and comparative historical methods Dr. Hetland studies the forces that enable and constrain the deepening and extension of democracy. This has led him to research left and right parties, social and labor movements, climate change, and national and urban politics in Latin America and the US.