Presentación

Abstract

Current global politics demands reflection and critical analysis of the almost abolished social agenda in the discourse of political actors and in the hegemonic narratives gaining ground in various regions of the world. In the realm of political communication and/or mass sociology, “the social” or “the human” are no longer categories that allow for inclusion within hegemonic discursive frameworks to build consensus. The focus on “social demands” that prioritize or centered on the historical demands of humanity is socially exhausted and no longer constitutes a link, as it did at the beginning of the century, for seizing political power or for generating social consensus that leads to a cultural transformation of institutions.

The discourse based on “rights” seems to be relegated to the political errors of the generation that discursively won over Latin American societies at the beginning of the century, opening the door to the conservative and extremist logics that today sell their political figures and spokespeople as future “renovators” and saviors of a political dynamic inherent to their ideological roots. Latin America, therefore, in its last decade has witnessed and suffered the most severe regressive policies based on liberalism: social cuts, privatizations, and the weakening of democracies through the legitimization of absolutist practices.

The social sciences and humanities, which in part of the 20th and 21st centuries focused their studies on inequalities and the impact of industrial capitalism on the peripheries, now face another challenge: to build the possibility of hegemonizing the political space based—once again—on human sensibilities and social demands. Logically, the struggle for the capacity to “govern” or manage public affairs must be prioritized to generate renewed opinions and consensus in Latin American societies regarding social movements. Positions on better working conditions, women's rights, and the preservation of our ecosystem must be accompanied by discourses that satisfy the demands of a society forced to demand the bare minimum to live under the culture of capitalism and exclusion.

In this edition of Encuentros, we emphasize works that prioritize social studies, justice, and the possibility of generating reflections to reduce inequalities. It is an effort to sustain critical thinking and the humanities as a form of resistance against the advance of techno-scientific thought. Ultimately, it is a endeavor that aspires to transform an editorial and academic space into a space for debate, to prevent further erosion of the human condition.