Dossier: China y América Latina
Call for articles, vol. 26 (2026)
Dossier: China and Latin America
"We are all Chinese". With this phrase, the title of an article published in an Argentine media outlet, the journalist Bruno Brauer sought to ironize a certain generalized inclination towards the Asian giant that has occurred in recent years in that country and in Latin America in general.
Indeed, China's presence in Latin America today is undeniable and manifests itself in various ways. According to ECLAC, trade in goods between Latin America and China increased 35-fold between 2000 and 2022. Investments and agreements at different scales (national, provincial, local, but also in mega projects such as the “Belt and Road”), are eloquent to illustrate the new configurations in the links between both parties. The Confucius Institutes, a public institution directly under the Ministry of Education of China dedicated to the provision of teaching resources and services related to Chinese language and culture worldwide, have also witnessed a resounding growth, strengthening China's presence in the region. With 55 branches in Latin America and the Caribbean by 2024, the Chinese government has sought to strengthen ties through language learning, the dissemination of Chinese culture and exchange and training scholarships between countries.
Notwithstanding this present situation, which is evident and has triggered numerous studies and research, Latin America's ties with China recognize a history and multiple and varied aspects that have encouraged various analyses and lines of research in recent decades. China's role in the new geopolitical configuration and its emergence as a great power have stimulated both the most current aspects of relations (economic, environmental, political, geopolitical and cultural implications, for example), as well as questions about the background and conditions that made such encounters possible. In recent years, dozens of articles and books have been published on these relations. From economics, history, sociology, political science, international relations, art and literature, among others, a field of studies in permanent growth and reformulation has been built and complexified.
This Dossier aims to echo the state of research and current debates in the field. In doing so, it aims to explore, characterize and historicize the links between Latin America and China.
What links have united and continue to unite two geographically distant regions such as China and Latin America? What have been the different milestones in these relations? What have been the different paths that have led to these encounters? What have been the driving forces behind the searches and what have been the anchors from which the cultures have been read and interpreted? What influences and impacts can be read over time? What similarities and differences do the links between China and Latin America present with respect to others that the latter region has had, for example, with the United States or Europe? With these questions as triggers, we encourage researchers from all disciplines of the social sciences and humanities who problematize these links, to send their proposals. We find particularly relevant contributions that reflect on the history and present of the mutual impact and influence on art and culture, the representations of the other that exist on both sides, the travels and travelers that crossed oceans, diplomatic relations, local traditions that merged or dialogued with Maoism, and the social and economic links, taking into account the long-lasting movement of goods and capital.
Submissions from February 1 to April 15, 2025.
Articles should be sent by e-mail to the Editorial Office in Word format, also indicating: Name and Surname, Institution, Email and ORCID ID. IBEROAMERICANA will only accept original and unpublished articles. Submission must fully comply with our Author Guidelines:
https://journals.iai.spk-berlin.de/index.php/iberoamericana/about/submissions
