Democracia en Latinoamérica: De la Ideología al Pragmatismo en el Pensamiento de José Carlos Mariátegui, Paulo Freire y Luis Villoro

Abstract

The following study is a critique of the democratic pursuits in Latin America. This thesis focuses on twentieth century political developments in Peru, Brazil and Mexico. The question that guides and serves as the impetus and perimeter of this project is how have the political theories of Latin American in the twentieth century moved from rigid ideological positions to more pragmatic approaches. To develop this argument, I examine the theories and conclusions of José Carlos Mariátegui (1894 -1930), the conscientização pedagogical approach of Paulo Freire (1921-1997), and Luis Villoro’s radical democracy (1922 - ). These three philosophers, have as their goal, a society characterized by equality between human beings, and the respect and empowerment of traditionally oppressed people. The main finding of this study is that Latin America has moved from ideologically based political approaches to social change to approaches that are characterized as pragmatic.