As a region at the heart of the emergence of modern imperialism and colonialism, Latin America has been historically and intrinsically shaped by unequal power relations in terms of class, gender, race, culture, and international location. Conflicts generated by these unequal relations have thus been played in multiple arenas of domination, contestation, and negotiation involving a wide variety of social actors, institutions, and issues. While the specific contours of power struggles in the region shifted according to particular historical contexts, they undoubtedly inform the current dynamics of contemporary Latin American societies and help explain the fact that Latin America is the most unequal region in the world.