Capital, crisis, and state in Costa Rica: A historical materialist study of the emergence of neoliberalis

The following study is concerned with understanding the emergence of neoliberalism in Costa Rica since the apex of the debt crisis in 1982 to present from a historical materialist analytical framework. This critical exploration of neoliberalism will be approached not by looking solely within the confines of the national borders, but rather by analyzing the emergence as a moment within the wider capitalist world market. To this end, I argue that contrary to dominant 'common sense' understandings, the emergence of neoliberalism in Costa Rica is best understood as a new form of political domination. However, as but a historical moment, neoliberalism is open to social contestation and learning processes---that is, class struggle. Critically understanding neoliberalism's emergence, then, is best approached through a historical materialist analysis of the interrelated dimensions of capital, crisis, and state, which are themselves moments of the wider social relations of capitalist production and form the central elements of my analysis.