Leandro Minuchin, UoM: Architectures of Exit: Libertarianism, Anarcho-Capitalism, and the Substitution of Politics in Latin America
| Dates: | 22 October 2025 |
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| Times: | 17:00 - 18:30 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | School of Arts, Languages and Cultures |
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| Speaker: | Leandro Minuchin |
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This talk is part of the seminar series of the Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
Wed 22 Oct 2025, 5pm (UK time). This event will be in person, in Samuel Alexander Building, room A112. It can be followed online here: https://zoom.us/j/95860231166
Abstract: From private cities to metaverses, contemporary design is increasingly involved in producing "exit strategies" —spatial solutions for those seeking to secede from state-controlled environments. These autonomous zones are promoted by libertarian think-tanks and international NGOs to surpass the limitations of democratic settlements, creating an open market for governance. Once marginal in the 1970s, these proposals are gaining significant political relevance today. Proponents frame the State and its regulatory frameworks as an attack on personal freedoms, advocating for citizens to "vote with their feet", avoid the need for compromises, and opt out. In Latin America, democratic fatigue has made this vision particularly compelling, promising development through a reset anchored in subscription-based affiliations rather than representative politics. Using the special economic zone of Próspera in Honduras, the eco-villages of Panama, and Argentina's large investment regime as case studies, this paper describes how the notion of exit informs these libertarian experiments. In contrast to critiques that view far-right and neo-reactionary positions as merely electoral threats, this essay argues that the promotion of autonomous enclaves represents a broader and more fundamental challenge to existing governance structures.
Leandro Minuchin is Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Global Urbanism at the University of Manchester.
Speaker
Leandro Minuchin
Role: Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Global Urbanism
Organisation: The University of Manchester
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
A112
Samuel Alexander Building
Manchester
