Latin American politics is marked by polarization. The new left government in Chile has suffered a series of defeats from a revived right wing. Lula has been re elected in Brazil in a rejection of the far-right leader Bolsonaro but remains committed to the same neoliberal economics as his predecessor. Argentina has seen the rise of a new far-right party as the centre-left struggles with skyrocketing inflation and responds only with austerity. Peru and Colombia have seen protest movements while in other countries the level of struggle remains low. This talk will explore the varied nature of contemporary Latin American politics caught between the past and an uncertain future.