Latin America – Dieter Boris: pioneer of global sociology

With the death of Dieter Boris, one of the most important voices in the analysis of Latin America in German-speaking countries has fallen silent. Dieter Boris was committed to a global perspective in sociology early on, long before globalization research became academic fashion. His sober studies of the politics, economics and social structure of the Latin American subcontinent influenced several generations of Marburg students and made him a sought-after commentator on current political events.

The youngest 1968 professor

Dieter Boris was born on May 27, 1943 in Bielitz and grew up in Wiesbaden. After a short period of study at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, he moved to Marburg to study political science and sociology with the “triumvirate” of Wolfgang Abendroth, Heinz Maus and Werner Hofmann. As a student and doctoral candidate, he was involved in the Socialist German Student Association SDS. The Vietnam War and the socialist Allende government (1970–1973) in Chile shaped his interests. After completing his doctorate with a thesis on Karl Mannheim’s political sociology, he was appointed professor of sociology in 1972.

Dieter Boris was the youngest of the Marburg professors who emerged from the ’68 movement – the development sociologist was only 29 years old. With the restructuring of the Social Sciences Department, Dieter Boris became a sociology professor. He did not fall under the “Jacobin Pact,” under which the Marburg political scientists shared their equipment, and therefore worked without major staff support.

However, this did not inhibit his productivity: he published two dozen monographs and anthologies, almost all of them on the subjects of Latin America and inequalities in the global economy. These included the books “Workers’ Movement in Latin America” ​​(1990), “Origins of European World Conquest” (1992), “Social Movements in Latin America” ​​(1998), the volume “Bolívar’s Heirs” (2014) on left-wing populist governments on the subcontinent and his perhaps the most important book “On the Political Economy of Latin America” (2001). In addition to the progressive social movements in Latin America, the Marburg sociologist was particularly interested in the political economy and social structure of the subcontinent. Mexico and Argentina were the two countries that concerned him most.

His work was characterized by a specific approach. Dieter Boris mostly examined the network of relationships across three dimensions: social structure, economy and politics. He already took a global perspective before talk of globalization became standard academic repertoire. He located social processes in the nation-state container in the overall complex of the capitalist world economy. For the study of Latin America, this means that the dependent economic position of the subcontinent is also expressed in the social structure – such as a high proportion of informal work and underemployment – and influences the scope for political action. However, political dynamics do not arise deterministically from economic processes, but social power relations in turn structure the national economy and social structure. In recent publications, the Marburg sociologist also focused more on cultural aspects. In a supplement to the magazine “Socialism” from 2019, he shed light on the political culture of Latin America.

Intellectual thirsty for knowledge

I got to know Dieter Boris in the summer semester of 2000 as a listener to his lecture on social structure analysis, and later I attended seminars on dependency theory and Latin America. He was interested in critical students: After a presentation on financial and currency crises, Boris invited me and a few other fellow students to a discussion group on financial markets with him, Hans-Jürgen Bieling and Kai Eicker-Wolf. I learned the basics of development sociology and political economy from him. At that time, our common interest was the political left-wing turn in Latin America: Together with Anne Tittor, Dieter Boris and I published a volume in 2005 on the decline of neoliberal hegemony in Latin America. I myself later received my doctorate with a thesis inspired by world system theory on the foreign trade policy of the Brazilian left-wing government Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva. Dieter Boris was the dedicated second supervisor of my dissertation.

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As a scientist, he was driven by his thirst for knowledge: in the time before the Internet, he found out about current events in the world press by making regular trips to the train station kiosk. A complex system with folders for new publications in his office in the sociology institute kept him up to date with the latest scientific literature research. He sometimes provided his colleagues with exhibits from his in-house library. I myself vividly remember bags of yellowed literature, some of which he had flown in from Latin America in the 1970s.

His interest stopped at a few topics. Whether global history or sociological theory, he had taken note of the central work in the field. Various of his publications bear witness to this extensive knowledge. This includes the Spanish-language volume “La República Federal de Alemania”. Aspectos de su desarrollo social regional y económico« (2000) on the social structure and economy of the Federal Republic of Germany, which was created during a stay abroad as a visiting professor at the UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) in Mexico. His more recent involvement with the life and work of Felix Weil, the wealthy sponsor of the Frankfurt Institute for Social Research, also illustrates his broad interests.

Level-headed left-wing socialist

Politically, Dieter Boris identified himself as a left-wing socialist. Even in the face of headwinds, he vigorously defended his positions. When other development sociologists discussed modernization and systemic competitiveness at the turn of the millennium, the political economist continued to be interested in dependencies in the global economy and social inequalities in the global south. He also did not shy away from conflicts with other scientists: his sober assessment of the Zapatista movement in Mexico or the piqueteros in Argentina did not follow the spirit of the times. Scientific fashions were alien to him. Dieter Boris enthusiastically imparted knowledge, published on current topics and gathered small circles of students around him, but avoided navel-gazing on large stages such as international conferences.

After his retirement, the Latin America expert lived in seclusion with his family in the Marburg suburb of Cappel. He has repeatedly commented on current events with articles worth reading, most recently on the failure of the progressive Chilean constitution and, together with Patrick Eser, on the election of the anarcho-capitalist Javier Milei in Argentina. Dieter Boris died on November 22, 2024. His unique ability to look at current events soberly and to place them in larger contexts is needed today more than ever. His voice will be missed in many a heated debate.

Stefan Schmalz is Heisenberg research group leader at the Faculty of Political Science and the Max Weber College at the University of Erfurt.

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