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Chris Hesketh

University of Sussex, Department of International Relations, Faculty Member

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I have an inter-disciplinary research agenda that combines political economy, the historical sociology of international relations, political geography, political theory and Latin American studies. These interests are captured in my monograph, Spaces of Capital / Spaces of Resistance: Mexico and the Global Political Economy (University of Georgia Press, 2017 in the Geographies of Justice Social and Transformation Series).

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King's College London

SUNY: Stony Brook University

Universidad de Antioquia

Huáscar Salazar Lohman

Radosław Powęska

Jonathan Alderman

University of St Andrews

Jeffery R Webber

York University

Britta K Matthes

University of Bath

Olivia Arigho-Stiles

Universidad de los Andes (Colombia)

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Papers by Chris Hesketh

Between Pachakuti and Passive Revolution: The Search for Post-colonial Sovereignty in Bolivia

Journal of Historical Sociology, 2020

From the period 2000 to 2005, Bolivia experienced a profound political convulsion as social movem... more From the period 2000 to 2005, Bolivia experienced a profound political convulsion as social movements rose-up to contest the neoliberal model of development. This was most markedly inspired by contestation over the control of natural resources, namely water and gas. The period of mobilisation brought down two successive governments and propelled the MAS, led by Evo

The Urban Revolution(s) in Latin America: Reinventing Utopia

Handbook of Henri Lefebvre, the City and Urban Society, 2020

This chapter explores Lefebvre's key ideas about class struggle taking place through the producti... more This chapter explores Lefebvre's key ideas about class struggle taking place through the production of space. It does so by examining the transition from import-substitution industrialisation (ISI) to neoliberalism in Latin America using his spatial triad as a key tool of research. Moreover, it subsequently explores the contestation of neoliberalism in the region by subaltern classes, examining how this can be linked to Lefebvre's broader notions of differential space, urban revolt and autogestion.

The production of leisure: understanding the social function of football development in China

Globalizations, 2020

In this article, we utilize the social theories of Antonio Gramsci and Henri Lefebvre to explore ... more In this article, we utilize the social theories of Antonio Gramsci and Henri Lefebvre to explore the role that leisure activities such as football play within contemporary China in relation to issues of class. We argue that the recent promotion of football in China can be viewed as a continuation of broader top-down processes of ‘modernization from above’ that serves as a microcosm of the wider class contradictions inherent in Chinese approaches to development since the 1980s. The issue of class has been strangely absent from the literature dealing with the development of football in China. We explore the major role of the middle classes as the target for the promotion of leisure activities and consumerist lifestyles patterns as part of the Party- State’s effort to integrate them into a transformed historical bloc.

A Gramscian Conjuncture in Latin America? Reflections on Violence, Hegemony, and Geographical Difference

Antipode, 2019

This article addresses whether the concepts of Antonio Gramsci still "travel" to Latin America. D... more This article addresses whether the concepts of Antonio Gramsci still "travel" to Latin America. During the 20 th century, Gramsci was one of the most important social theorists invoked to understand forms of social order in Latin America, as well as providing resources to reflect upon subaltern culture, resistance and the construction of alternatives. However, over the past two decades there have been several theoretical and practical challenges to the hegemony of Gramsci. These challenges are multifarious, but can be reduced to several important contentions that are explored in this article. These include the enduring role of violence, the alleged decline of ideology and finally the challenge of state-centrism in the face of geographical difference. In the current regional conjuncture, marked by the return to power of right-wing social forces, I therefore examine whether Gramscian concepts are still apposite for understanding the political economy of Latin America in the 21 st century.

Resumen: Este artículo aborda si los conceptos de Antonio Gramsci todav ıa "viajan" a America Latina. Durante el siglo veinte, Gramsci fue uno de los teóricos sociales más importantes que se ha invocado para entender las formas de orden social en América Latina, así como un proveedor de recursos que reflexiona sobre la cultura subalterna, la resistencia y la construción de alternativas. Sin embargo, durante las últimas dos décadas, han habido algunos desafíos teóricos y prácticos del concepto de hegemonía de Gramsci. Esos desafíos son múltiples, pero pueden ser reducidos a varias discusiones importantes que son investigadas en este artículo. Estas incluyen el papel duradero de la violencia, la supuesta decadencia de la ideología y finalmente el reto del estado-cen-trismo frente a las diferencias geograficas. Por lo tanto, en la actual coyuntura regional, marcada por el regreso al poder de las fuerzas sociales de la derecha, yo analizo si los conceptos de Gramsci todavía son apropiados para entender la economía política de América Latina en el siglo veintiuno.

Lost in space? Putting the transnational state in its place

Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, 2018

This article explores the notion of a transnational state (TNS) as advanced by scholars working w... more This article explores the notion of a transnational state (TNS) as advanced by scholars working within Historical Materialism. In recent decades, Historical Materialist approaches to the Social Sciences have enjoyed a major intellectual renaissance. Fittingly, the reasons for this renaissance can be found in some major developments within contemporary capitalism. The first of these developments can be located in a renewed interest in the topic of imperialism as an interpretive category of geopolitics. The second development concerns the viability of the capitalist system itself following the global financial crisis of 2007/8. One major attempt to comprehend these issues has come through the postulation of an emergent TNS apparatus as part of a new global capital relation. This article explores this thesis but argues that it fails to adequately account for continued plurality, contingency and struggle at the nation-state scale which in turn provides the basis for potential conflict.

Passive revolution: a universal concept with geographical seats

Review of International Studies, 2017

In this article, I argue that Antonio Gramsci's concept of passive revolution makes a foundationa... more In this article, I argue that Antonio Gramsci's concept of passive revolution makes a foundational contribution to International Relations (IR), yet has been relatively under appreciated by the broader discipline. Within the Historical Sociology of International Relations, uneven and combined development has recently been postulated as a key trans-historical law that provides a social theory of the 'international'. Drawing from, but moving beyond these debates, I will argue that passive revolution is a key conditioning factor of capitalist modernity. I will demonstrate how the concept of passive revolution is the element that explains the connection between the universal process of uneven development and the manner in which specific combinations occur within the capitalist era as geopolitical pressures, in tandem with domestic social forces become internalised into geographically specific state forms. It therefore offers a corrective to the frequently aspatial view that is found in much of the literature in IR regarding uneven and combined development. Additionally, passive revolution provides a more politicised understanding of the present as well as an important theoretical lesson in relation to what needs to be done to affect alternative trajectories of development.

The survival of non-capitalism

Environment and Planning D, 2016

This article explores the importance of non-capitalist space within the global political economy.... more This article explores the importance of non-capitalist space within the global political economy. The issue of how to categorise and understand space in so-called peripheral regions such as Latin America has been a contentious one. Whilst many radical analyses have focused on the dynamics of capitalism in relation to the geography of development, explaining how it has been able to survive and grow, this article makes the case for a more multi-linear theoretical framework with which to view the socioeconomic landscape. This is inspired not only by the later writings of Marx but also the specific Marxian class analysis of those involved in Rethinking Marxism. Via a focus on Oaxaca in southern Mexico, this article highlights both the survival and the recreation of spaces of non-capitalism, and provides an argument for why we should consider these to be important for transformative action more broadly, whilst also discussing their potential limitations.

Spaces of Uneven Development and Class Struggle in Bolivia: Transformation or Trasformismo

Antipode, 2014

This article engages with the politics of class struggle and state formation in modern Bolivia. I... more This article engages with the politics of class struggle and state formation in modern Bolivia. It examines how current forms of political contestation are shaped by the legacy of the Revolution of 1952 and the subsequent path of development. In so doing, we therefore explore spaces of uneven and combined development in relation to ongoing transformations in Bolivia linked to emergent class strategies of passive revolution , meaning processes of historical development marked by the overall exclusion of subaltern classes. With this in mind we argue that state formation in Bolivia can be read as part of the history of passive revolution in Latin America within the spatial conditions of uneven and combined development shaping the geopolitics of the region. However, the expansion of passive revolution as a mode of historical development has been and continues to be rigorously contested by subaltern forces creating further spaces of class struggle.

Producing State Space in Chiapas: Passive Revolution and Everyday Life

Critical Sociology, 2016

This article examines processes of state formation in Chiapas, Mexico, from the time of the Revol... more This article examines processes of state formation in Chiapas, Mexico, from the time of the Revolution (1910-17) to the present. The purpose of the article is threefold. First it demonstrates how differing modes of production attempt to alter the production of space, yet at the same time, how pre-capitalist spaces and social relations, as well as movements of resistance, both alter the topography of capitalism as it unfolds. Second it explores 'everyday' processes of state formation linked to localized class cultures. In doing so, it makes claims to originality by providing a spatially sensitive account of Antonio Gramsci's notion of hegemony, and indeed breaks new ground by demonstrating a sub-national articulation of passive revolution as a means of constructing state space. Finally, it considers the importance of counter-spaces formed in opposition to the state and what the response has been in turn to these 'spaces of resistance'.

Defending place, Remaking Space: Social Movements in Oaxaca and Chiapas

Marxism and Social Movements, 2013

The Clash of Spatializations : Geopolitics and Class Struggles in Southern Mexico

Latin American Perspectives, 2013

From passive revolution to silent revolution: Class forces and the Production of State, Space and Scale in Modern Mexico

Capital & Class , 2010

This article draws on Antonio Gramsci's key concepts of passive revolution and hegemony to explor... more This article draws on Antonio Gramsci's key concepts of passive revolution and hegemony to explore how specific scalar and spatial configurations have been historically produced in Mexico, within the conditions of worldwide capitalist development. It argues that passive revolution-understood as the stateled reorganisation of social relations that seeks to maintain or restore class domination-can be seen as a recurring theme of Mexican history in the 20th century. In order to make this case, the author examines the Mexican Revolution and elaborates the case for labelling it as a 'passive revolution'. Following this, the contradictory character of Mexico's development trajectory is explored, and the resulting restructuring of the economy along neoliberal lines is interpreted as a second phase of passive revolution. Through an analysis of changing state formation and the spaces and scales associated with it, the article thereby highlights the key antinomies of capitalist development that have augured the recurrence of passive revolutions.

Between Pachakuti and Passive Revolution: The Search for Post-colonial Sovereignty in Bolivia

Journal of Historical Sociology, 2020

From the period 2000 to 2005, Bolivia experienced a profound political convulsion as social movem... more From the period 2000 to 2005, Bolivia experienced a profound political convulsion as social movements rose-up to contest the neoliberal model of development. This was most markedly inspired by contestation over the control of natural resources, namely water and gas. The period of mobilisation brought down two successive governments and propelled the MAS, led by Evo

The Urban Revolution(s) in Latin America: Reinventing Utopia

Handbook of Henri Lefebvre, the City and Urban Society, 2020

This chapter explores Lefebvre's key ideas about class struggle taking place through the producti... more This chapter explores Lefebvre's key ideas about class struggle taking place through the production of space. It does so by examining the transition from import-substitution industrialisation (ISI) to neoliberalism in Latin America using his spatial triad as a key tool of research. Moreover, it subsequently explores the contestation of neoliberalism in the region by subaltern classes, examining how this can be linked to Lefebvre's broader notions of differential space, urban revolt and autogestion.

The production of leisure: understanding the social function of football development in China

Globalizations, 2020

In this article, we utilize the social theories of Antonio Gramsci and Henri Lefebvre to explore ... more In this article, we utilize the social theories of Antonio Gramsci and Henri Lefebvre to explore the role that leisure activities such as football play within contemporary China in relation to issues of class. We argue that the recent promotion of football in China can be viewed as a continuation of broader top-down processes of ‘modernization from above’ that serves as a microcosm of the wider class contradictions inherent in Chinese approaches to development since the 1980s. The issue of class has been strangely absent from the literature dealing with the development of football in China. We explore the major role of the middle classes as the target for the promotion of leisure activities and consumerist lifestyles patterns as part of the Party- State’s effort to integrate them into a transformed historical bloc.

A Gramscian Conjuncture in Latin America? Reflections on Violence, Hegemony, and Geographical Difference

Antipode, 2019

This article addresses whether the concepts of Antonio Gramsci still "travel" to Latin America. D... more This article addresses whether the concepts of Antonio Gramsci still "travel" to Latin America. During the 20 th century, Gramsci was one of the most important social theorists invoked to understand forms of social order in Latin America, as well as providing resources to reflect upon subaltern culture, resistance and the construction of alternatives. However, over the past two decades there have been several theoretical and practical challenges to the hegemony of Gramsci. These challenges are multifarious, but can be reduced to several important contentions that are explored in this article. These include the enduring role of violence, the alleged decline of ideology and finally the challenge of state-centrism in the face of geographical difference. In the current regional conjuncture, marked by the return to power of right-wing social forces, I therefore examine whether Gramscian concepts are still apposite for understanding the political economy of Latin America in the 21 st century.

Resumen: Este artículo aborda si los conceptos de Antonio Gramsci todav ıa "viajan" a America Latina. Durante el siglo veinte, Gramsci fue uno de los teóricos sociales más importantes que se ha invocado para entender las formas de orden social en América Latina, así como un proveedor de recursos que reflexiona sobre la cultura subalterna, la resistencia y la construción de alternativas. Sin embargo, durante las últimas dos décadas, han habido algunos desafíos teóricos y prácticos del concepto de hegemonía de Gramsci. Esos desafíos son múltiples, pero pueden ser reducidos a varias discusiones importantes que son investigadas en este artículo. Estas incluyen el papel duradero de la violencia, la supuesta decadencia de la ideología y finalmente el reto del estado-cen-trismo frente a las diferencias geograficas. Por lo tanto, en la actual coyuntura regional, marcada por el regreso al poder de las fuerzas sociales de la derecha, yo analizo si los conceptos de Gramsci todavía son apropiados para entender la economía política de América Latina en el siglo veintiuno.

Lost in space? Putting the transnational state in its place

Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, 2018

This article explores the notion of a transnational state (TNS) as advanced by scholars working w... more This article explores the notion of a transnational state (TNS) as advanced by scholars working within Historical Materialism. In recent decades, Historical Materialist approaches to the Social Sciences have enjoyed a major intellectual renaissance. Fittingly, the reasons for this renaissance can be found in some major developments within contemporary capitalism. The first of these developments can be located in a renewed interest in the topic of imperialism as an interpretive category of geopolitics. The second development concerns the viability of the capitalist system itself following the global financial crisis of 2007/8. One major attempt to comprehend these issues has come through the postulation of an emergent TNS apparatus as part of a new global capital relation. This article explores this thesis but argues that it fails to adequately account for continued plurality, contingency and struggle at the nation-state scale which in turn provides the basis for potential conflict.

Passive revolution: a universal concept with geographical seats

Review of International Studies, 2017

In this article, I argue that Antonio Gramsci's concept of passive revolution makes a foundationa... more In this article, I argue that Antonio Gramsci's concept of passive revolution makes a foundational contribution to International Relations (IR), yet has been relatively under appreciated by the broader discipline. Within the Historical Sociology of International Relations, uneven and combined development has recently been postulated as a key trans-historical law that provides a social theory of the 'international'. Drawing from, but moving beyond these debates, I will argue that passive revolution is a key conditioning factor of capitalist modernity. I will demonstrate how the concept of passive revolution is the element that explains the connection between the universal process of uneven development and the manner in which specific combinations occur within the capitalist era as geopolitical pressures, in tandem with domestic social forces become internalised into geographically specific state forms. It therefore offers a corrective to the frequently aspatial view that is found in much of the literature in IR regarding uneven and combined development. Additionally, passive revolution provides a more politicised understanding of the present as well as an important theoretical lesson in relation to what needs to be done to affect alternative trajectories of development.

The survival of non-capitalism

Environment and Planning D, 2016

This article explores the importance of non-capitalist space within the global political economy.... more This article explores the importance of non-capitalist space within the global political economy. The issue of how to categorise and understand space in so-called peripheral regions such as Latin America has been a contentious one. Whilst many radical analyses have focused on the dynamics of capitalism in relation to the geography of development, explaining how it has been able to survive and grow, this article makes the case for a more multi-linear theoretical framework with which to view the socioeconomic landscape. This is inspired not only by the later writings of Marx but also the specific Marxian class analysis of those involved in Rethinking Marxism. Via a focus on Oaxaca in southern Mexico, this article highlights both the survival and the recreation of spaces of non-capitalism, and provides an argument for why we should consider these to be important for transformative action more broadly, whilst also discussing their potential limitations.

Spaces of Uneven Development and Class Struggle in Bolivia: Transformation or Trasformismo

Antipode, 2014

This article engages with the politics of class struggle and state formation in modern Bolivia. I... more This article engages with the politics of class struggle and state formation in modern Bolivia. It examines how current forms of political contestation are shaped by the legacy of the Revolution of 1952 and the subsequent path of development. In so doing, we therefore explore spaces of uneven and combined development in relation to ongoing transformations in Bolivia linked to emergent class strategies of passive revolution , meaning processes of historical development marked by the overall exclusion of subaltern classes. With this in mind we argue that state formation in Bolivia can be read as part of the history of passive revolution in Latin America within the spatial conditions of uneven and combined development shaping the geopolitics of the region. However, the expansion of passive revolution as a mode of historical development has been and continues to be rigorously contested by subaltern forces creating further spaces of class struggle.

Producing State Space in Chiapas: Passive Revolution and Everyday Life

Critical Sociology, 2016

This article examines processes of state formation in Chiapas, Mexico, from the time of the Revol... more This article examines processes of state formation in Chiapas, Mexico, from the time of the Revolution (1910-17) to the present. The purpose of the article is threefold. First it demonstrates how differing modes of production attempt to alter the production of space, yet at the same time, how pre-capitalist spaces and social relations, as well as movements of resistance, both alter the topography of capitalism as it unfolds. Second it explores 'everyday' processes of state formation linked to localized class cultures. In doing so, it makes claims to originality by providing a spatially sensitive account of Antonio Gramsci's notion of hegemony, and indeed breaks new ground by demonstrating a sub-national articulation of passive revolution as a means of constructing state space. Finally, it considers the importance of counter-spaces formed in opposition to the state and what the response has been in turn to these 'spaces of resistance'.

Defending place, Remaking Space: Social Movements in Oaxaca and Chiapas

Marxism and Social Movements, 2013

The Clash of Spatializations : Geopolitics and Class Struggles in Southern Mexico

Latin American Perspectives, 2013

From passive revolution to silent revolution: Class forces and the Production of State, Space and Scale in Modern Mexico

Capital & Class , 2010

This article draws on Antonio Gramsci's key concepts of passive revolution and hegemony to explor... more This article draws on Antonio Gramsci's key concepts of passive revolution and hegemony to explore how specific scalar and spatial configurations have been historically produced in Mexico, within the conditions of worldwide capitalist development. It argues that passive revolution-understood as the stateled reorganisation of social relations that seeks to maintain or restore class domination-can be seen as a recurring theme of Mexican history in the 20th century. In order to make this case, the author examines the Mexican Revolution and elaborates the case for labelling it as a 'passive revolution'. Following this, the contradictory character of Mexico's development trajectory is explored, and the resulting restructuring of the economy along neoliberal lines is interpreted as a second phase of passive revolution. Through an analysis of changing state formation and the spaces and scales associated with it, the article thereby highlights the key antinomies of capitalist development that have augured the recurrence of passive revolutions.