Inter-American studies and the reconfiguration of United States hegemony

Abstract

The past decades witnessed the flourishing of Inter-American Studies. Beyond the self-centeredness of the nation-based framework, Inter-American Studies is regarded as the spearhead methodology of American Studies and a timely response to both the transnational turn and the call for a more humble and politically engaged American Studies. Yet, many Latin American intellectuals show suspicion over this ‘new’ academic move and the authority it claims over the ‘other Americas.’ Because American Studies originated as the ideological branch of U.S. hegemony after WWII, the present waning hegemony of the West demands scrutiny about the implications of the current directions the field is taking, a debate this paper engages.