Australian Latin American Relations

Until recently, Australia and Latin America were considered irrelevant to one another. The prevailing perception in Australia had been that Latin America was too remote, disconnected, and politically irrelevant to warrant serious scholarly or public attention. In recent years, this perception has rapidly changed, with Australian universities seeking to attract Latin American students, new diplomatic relations emerging, investment in mining and other business sectors expanding, and a growing fascination in Australia with Latin American food, music, dance and other forms of popular culture. These rapid developments can only properly be understood within the context of broader global transformations underway, including shifts in power relations between the 'Global North' and 'Global South', the rise of key Latin American economies, major technological developments, and ever-increasing global interconnectivity. This pioneering interdisciplinary book ventures into the new space of Australian-Latin American relations, exploring multiple dimensions of the rapidly changing landscape within a global context.

This is a good time to reflect on opportunities and challenges for Australia in Latin America. Impressive economic growth and opportunities for trade and investment have made Latin America a dynamic area for Australia and the Asia Pacific region. A growing Latin American population, Australia’s attractiveness to Latin American students, a fascination with the cultural vibrancy of the Americas and an awareness of Latin America’s increasingly independent stance in politics and economic diplomacy, have all contributed to raising the region’s profile. This collection of essays provides the first substantial introduction to Australia’s evolving engagement with Latin America, identifying current trends and opportunities, and making suggestions about how relationships in trade, investment, foreign aid, education, culture and the media could be strengthened.

This interdisciplinary book ventures into the new space of Australian-Latin American relations, exploring multiple dimensions of this rapidly changing landscape within a global context. Until recently, Australia and Latin America were considered irrelevant to one another. The prevailing perception in Australia had been that Latin America was too remote, disconnected, and politically irrelevant to warrant serious scholarly or public attention. In recent years, this perception has rapidly changed, with Australian universities seeking to attract Latin American students, new diplomatic relations emerging, investment in mining and other business sectors expanding, and a growing fascination in Australia with Latin American food, music, dance and other forms of popular culture. These rapid developments can only properly be understood within the context of broader global transformations underway, including shifts in power relations between the "Global North" and "Global South", the rise of key Latin American economies, major technological developments, and ever-increasing global interconnectivity.