El «frente interno». Enjuiciamiento de la sociología política en Chile a la teoría (marxista) de la dependencia

In the last two decades, dependency analyses have resurged in Latin America as tools to understand contemporary dynamics of inequality and exploitation. However, Chile shows a divergent trajectory. This article explores the historical and theoretical reasons that have kept the country on the sidelines of this resurgence, focusing on the criticisms of Chilean sociologists since the second half of the 1970s, which we call the "internal front" of criticism, in contrast to the objections formulated to the theory by intellectuals in Europe, the United States, and other Latin American countries. We argue that the criticism was mainly directed against the radical or Marxist strand of dependency theory and analyze how these objections led to the abandonment of the theoretical approach in favor of more conservative social and political projects, leaving aside the idea of revolution and the connection between radical thought and transformative action. By examining the criticisms of figures such as Hernán Godoy, Manuel Antonio Garretón, Rodrigo Baño, José Joaquín Brunner, and Tomás Moulian, the articles how show Chilean sociology distancedit self from Marxism and opted for more pragmatic approaches. The conclusion highlights the importance of analyzing these criticisms to strengthen contemporary dependency debates and develop a more robust theoretical framework to critique global capitalism.