PERIPHERY IS PERIPHERY
IMPERIALISM AND THE OVEREXPLOITATION OF LABOR
The present work has as its object imperialism, a structuring aspect of the division of the world between central and peripheral countries. Based on concepts and notions developed around this object, we will seek to point out the centrality of dependence and overexploitation in maintaining this division. Theoretical practice always starts from existing concepts, developing them from a certain theory to help us understand concrete reality. In this sense, we will be guided by Marxism and the Leninist theory of imperialism to investigate the hypothesis that dependency is based on the overexploitation of labor, which guarantees the reproduction of imperialism in a world of formally independent States. To do so, we will make use of Lenin's writings on imperialism, identifying aspects of his theory related to the issue of dependency. In light of the Leninist contribution, we will analyze works that deal with contemporary imperialism, identifying divergences and approaches, in order to advance the investigation conducted here. With this, it is expected to point out overexploitation as an economic foundation, not only of dependence, but also of imperialism, especially in its contemporary phase.