Decoloniality and Political Rationality of the Union of South American Nations

Abstract

In a context of international crisis, regionalism and regionalization are captivating academic attention as instruments for change. I aim to answer a main question: Does the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) entail a transformative exercise of government in this region? Also, what does the characterization of UNASUR as ―postneoliberal‖ imply and how is it formulated? This critical theoretical study draws on governmentality and decoloniality to evaluate the transformative potentialities and novelty of regionalism and, specifically, UNASUR. This thesis contributes to the knowledge of regionalism first, by assessing determinism and flaws of mainstream regionalism research; second, assessing the shared assumptions underlying the research of UNASUR; third, identifying the South American initiative‘s political rationality and alternative excluded rationalities. Based on the decolonial stance, this thesis concludes that UNASUR‘s political rationality is not transformative. Rather, it may be understood in the context of mainstream regionalism research reproducing the modern/colonial matrix of power.