Disposition of Latin American Society Toward Intraregional Integration: The Civilizational-Cultural Aspect

Latin American civilization is characterized as «borderline» for which constant cultural synthesis, internal diversity, and a continuous process of self-identification are typical. The article is devoted to analyzing the disposition of Latin American society towards intra-regional integration through the lens of civilizational-cultural identity. Can a common identity serve as a solid foundation for integration processes in the region? Answering this question requires considering the historical, social, and cultural factors influencing the attitude of Latin American society towards regional integration. The following research methods were used in the work: the historical method while analyzing the deep-seated causes and origins of integration processes in the region; comparative analysis when applying various civilizational-cultural paradigms to the Latin American region; analysis of public opinion when studying the attitude of modern Latin American society towards integration. The work employs authoritative theoretical civilizational-cultural models by S. Huntington, Inglehart-Welzel, and Sh. Schwartz, the analysis of which demonstrates significant value heterogeneity among Latin American countries. Based on these models, several groups of states with fundamentally different cultural priorities are identified, which creates serious obstacles to the formation of a unified integration model. The results of the study reveal a significant dissonance between formally high public support for integration (about 81 %) and its actual driving forces. Data from sociological surveys indicate that this support is predominantly pragmatic in nature and associated with expectations of specific economic benefits, rather than with a sense of civilizational-cultural commonality. The analysis shows that the foundation of the integration process in Latin America is anti-imperialist orientation and common geopolitical interests, however, value unity remains rather conditional. As a result, the success of regional cooperation depends more on conjunctural political and economic factors than on a deep-seated common identity.