The Euro-Latin American Space: A Tale of Disentangled Imaginaries

Such imaginary is understood as the set of ideas, perceptions and visions of the world attached to a territorial whole. The origins of the “Euro-Latin American space” idea are essentially based on a long-shared history, dating back to the “discoveries,” which intrinsically link the two continents, and that would be the support for this common imaginary. However, the main argument put forward in this chapter is the one of disentanglement of regional imaginations between Latin America and Europe, generating divergent interpretations (dissonance), creating misunderstandings and constituting an explanation for certain limits and blockages in the bi-regional contemporary cooperation. This argument is based on a plural conceptualization of the space, borrowing from the French geographer Henri Lefebvre. This euro-Latin American space, which we discuss in this chapter, has taken on many names throughout history, each diluted in heterogeneous conceptions: “Euro-American” and “Euro-Latin American” with more specific variations such as “Ibero-American” or “Hispano-American” spaces.