Social Movements and Latin American Philosophy: From Ciudad Jurez to Ayotzinapa

(Hardback)

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Social Movements and Latin American Philosophy: From Ciudad Juarez to Ayotzinapa provides a historical and theoretical analysis of the Ayotzinapa social movement from the perspective of Latin American philosophy to provide a deeper understanding of the challenges that social movements face in the context of extreme violence. Luis Rubn Daz Cepeda analyzes the complete cycle of mobilization appertaining to Ciudad Jurez, the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity, and the Ayotzinapa social movement. Guided by the theories of Enrique Dussel, Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Ernesto Laclau, and Santiago Castro-Gomez, Daz Cepeda addresses questions of how a social movement is born, how the distinct social movement organizations should articulate to form a movement of movements, what (if at all) the limits and extent of these organizations should be. In raising and addressing such questions, Daz Cepeda argues in favor of a soft articulation and the perennial need for social movement organizations. Scholars of Latin American studies, philosophy, history, and sociology will find this book particularly useful.

Reviews

Daz's book invites us all to think deeply about how to begin to transform the world. How can we go about creating a transmodern state I think Daz is right to point out that social movements play an essential role in these processes. SMO's have to play multiple roles beyond simply the state. It must work with the Westernized university's global structure as a critical learning community, with sports in ways that redirect its function as a mere diversion, news media outlets and other popular culture institutions.

-- "Inter-American Journal of Philosophy"

This book provides an insider's account of the largest social movements in Mexico from 2008 to 2018. It is, thus, a contribution to contemporary Mexican history. In the case studies of the first part of the book, Daz Cepeda deftly uses North American and European theorists to explain the general relevance of understanding these movements. In its second part, he uses contemporary Latin American philosophy, particularly that of the erudite Mexico-Argentinean philosopher Enrique Dussel, to analyze these movements. Unlike many works of philosophy that are largely theoretical, Daz Cepeda conducted interviews with key activists and conducted participatory ethnography. The book presents ample evidence of the counterproductive effects of the armed war on drugs and its negative impact on innocent civilians. This book is a recommended text for Latin Americanists, and social movements scholars in the humanities and the social sciences.

--Ernesto Castaeda, Director, Immigration Lab, American University

This is a groundbreaking book. Daz Cepeda illustrates with an almost unprecedented clarity the "theory-meets-praxis" spirit of the Latin American philosophical tradition. He does so by analyzing, from the ground up, two of the most pressing political challenges of contemporary Mexico: the Ayotzinapa tragedy and its turbulent aftermath, and popular opposition to military violence in Ciudad Jurez's infamous "war on drugs." Social Movements and Latin American Philosophy will be of great interest to scholars and activists who are interested in Latin American affairs and the ethics of social movements on a global scale. It's not to be missed!

--Amy Reed-Sandoval, University of Nevada

Author Bio

Luis Rubn Daz Cepeda is assistant professor in the humanities department at The Autonomous University of Ciudad Jurez.