The Geography of Capitalism After the 2008 Crisis:

The Pursuit of a New Spatial Arrangement

Abstract

Guided by what we see as a regression in current economic debates—which have largely abandoned critical perspectives on capitalism—this article revisits the core arguments and concepts of Uneven Geographical Development (UGD) theory to strengthen our ability to revitalize discussions around imperialism, capitalist dynamics, and economic dependency. We return to UGD’s suggestion to consider capitalism geographically, highlighting how this system has survived its recurrent crises through the spatial reorganization of capital’s production and circulation. For Marxist economic geography, such processes help explain transitions between “models of production.” The inquiries promoted by this theory lead us to identify the current moment of capitalism as one of redefining its spatial arrangement (in Harvey’s terms), known as neoliberal globalization. We propose key elements for building research agendas focused on imagining emancipatory paths for Latin America within the international division of labor currently under construction.