Dear reader,
Welcome to the online dictionary “Social and Political Key Terms of the Americas: Politics, Inequalities, and North-South-Relations” of the Center for InterAmerican Studies, Bielefeld University and the International Doctoral Program “Global Social Policies and Governance“ at Kassel University.
The Americas are characterized like no other region by parallel and conflicting dynamics of regional integration, dependency, co-evolutions, and revolutions. Despite of all the regional differences that find their highest expressions in the paradigmatic clash of the global North and the global South in the borderlands, a common ground also exists based on the experiences of colonialization and its enduring power to shape social, cultural and political relations in the Americas.
This online dictionary charts the emerging field of inter-American or Hemispheric American Studies by discussing key concepts and issues as well as theoretical and methodological approaches from a broad interdisciplinary perspective of social, political and cultural studies. Through this dictionary, we aim to generate and systematize knowledge about the Americas for scholars, students, and social actors in ways that account for the cultural, social, political and economic differences and conflicts within the Americas as well as for the ever-increasing and multi-layered processes of integration and transnationalization. From an innovative transnational and comparative perspective, the online dictionary focuses on a broad range of cultural, political, and social dynamics in the Americas. Every entry of the dictionary takes into account the different meanings and historical dimensions the same concept can have in the North (in the US or Canada) or the South (in the different regions of Latin America and the Caribbean) or in between. The online dictionary deals with political power and domination, social inequalities, work and social policies, social movements and transnational networks, and international economy and dependency in the context of dynamic inter-American relations.
We hope that you enjoy reading and we would like to encourage you to comment the entries!
| Jun.-Prof. Dr. Olaf Kaltmeier Center for InterAmerican Studies Bielefeld University |  |
| Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Burchardt International Doctoral Program "Global Social Policies and Governance" Chair of International and Intersocietal Relations Kassel University |  |
| Dr.des. Anne Tittor Coordinator of the International Doctoral Program "Global Social Policies and Governance" Kassel University |  |
Contact: interamerican_wiki@uni-bielefeld.de