Incorporating Canada into the Analysis of Latin American and Caribbean Studies: The Case of Canadian Business Expansion in Colombia During the First Half of the Twentieth Century

• In Event: Locating Latin American Studies Beyond the US and Latin America

Abstract

The theme for this year’s congress focuses, among other things, on hemispheric interaction, cooperation, and the interdependence that has historically existed among the regional cultures, societies, and markets. Canada, an underrepresented hemispheric actor within the historical analysis of the region, has greatly impacted the political, social, economic, and environmental dynamics of the region. This paper focuses on the history of Canada’s business expansion into the Americas, narrowing in on the developments that took place in Colombia during the first half of the twentieth century. It is a synopsis of my first book, Circumventing Empires: Canadian Business Expansion in Colombia, 1767-1968, under contract with the University of Toronto Press and scheduled for publication in 2019. The paper argues that present realities of the extractive industries in Colombia and the expansion of Capitalism in the hands of Canadian corporations demands a space within the macro analysis of Latin American, Caribbean, and Hemispheric history. The objective of connecting North and South America, and of illustrating the historical dynamics of “hemispheric interactions and cooperation” and “mutual dependence” may only be fully achieved by incorporating Canada into the narrative. Ultimately the objective of this paper is to contribute to the intellectual effort of “interrogating Latin American Studies” and question the over emphasized U.S.-centric approaches to the study of the region.

Author

• Stefano Tijerina, University of Maine