PERIPHERY IS PERIPHERY: IMPERIALISM, OVER EXPLOITATION AND DEPENDENCE
The present work has as its object imperialism, an aspect that structures the division of the world between central and peripheral countries. Starting from 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 so that they help us to understand the concrete reality. In this sense, we will adopt Marxism and Lenin's theory of imperialism to investigate the functionality of the super-exploitation of labor for imperialism and the role of dependence in its reproduction. In order to do so, we will make use of Lenin's writings on imperialism, rescuing the economic and, mainly, political aspects of his theory. In the light of the Leninist contribution, we will analyze works that deal with contemporary imperialism, seeking a reference that allows us to advance in the investigation carried out here. With this theoretical framework, we will proceed to a brief empirical and historical analysis around overexploitation. With this, it is expected to advance in the development of the concept and point out its centrality to imperialism, especially in the contemporary phase, marked by productive internationalization and financialization under the hegemony of big capital. Finally, we will seek to demonstrate dependence as the main aspect through which overexploitation is reproduced within peripheral social formations.