Liberation social psychology: learning from Latin America

Liberation Social Psychology (la psicología social de la liberación, LSP) has developed amongst a body of psychologists in Latin America over the last decade. There has been no survey of the field in English, although some of the ideas are of relevance for those working with oppressed groups elsewhere in the world. This article explores the context in which LSP grew from the work of Ignacio Martín‐Baró and was developed by Maritza Montero, amongst others. Within LSP, key concepts emerge, including ‘conscientization’, ‘realismo‐crítico’, ‘de‐ideologization’, a social orientation, ‘the preferential option for the oppressed majorities’ and methodological eclecticism. The application of LSP is explored with reference to three domains. First, it is suggested that community social psychology as practised in some parts of Latin America reflects LSP in its emphasis on social transformation and participatory methods. Second, psycho‐social work with victims of state oppression, which adopts a highly social and societal orientation embodies LSP. Third, social analyses which explicitly adopt socio‐psychological‐political analyses of the social realities confronting countries in Latin America embrace, in different ways, principles and concepts of LSP. Some of the challenges facing LSP are discussed and open dialogue is encouraged between LSP and critical, community and applied social psychologists. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ideology,modernization and politico-economic development in Latin America

The authors state that social and political processes are continuously interrelated and modify each other in a circular fashion. The economic variable seems to be the most independent and strategic one in the complex and circular causal process of contemporary history. Its importance is due to the fact that economic forces have become the means that contribute the most to the attainment of varied social and political goals. holding appointments in the Department of International Relations, Economics, Political Science and Sociology/Anthropology. He is also a Senior Research Scholar at the University of Miami’s Graduate School of International Studies. He has been a Senior Fellow at Brookings Institution and is presently a staff member there. He has published more than thirty books and over one hundred articles.     

Theologies from Africa,Asia and Latin America,including Black Theology: a Bibliography

During the last few years the library of the Ecumenical Centre, in line with its worldwide acquisition policy, has added to its collection many works by theologians from Africa, Asia and Latin America. A consultation of several such theologians took place recently in Geneva. Prominent at the Vancouver Assembly were theologians speaking out of their own context. This is therefore an appropriate moment for rendering a service to theological professors and students in the realm of contextual theology. All the titles indicated in the bibliography are available in the library and can be borrowed.     

Social Interactions and Life Satisfaction: Evidence from Latin America

In this paper, we seek to examine the effect of social comparisons and of social capital on life satisfaction over a sample of Latin American countries. We test if, through social influence and exposure, social capital is either an enhancer or appeaser of the effect of social comparisons of material conditions in life satisfaction. Using the Latinobarómetro Survey (2007) we find, contrary to the existing literature that, the better others perform in the material dimension, the happier the individual is. We also find that social capital is among the strongest correlates of individuals’ life satisfaction. Our findings suggest that social contacts may enhance the effect of social comparisons, which is more intense for those who perform worse in their reference group.     

1909年以来的拉美马克思主义——对“欧洲中心主义”与“拉美例外论”的超越

本文指出,"欧洲中心主义"和"拉美例外论"是破坏拉美马克思主义理论探索和实践活动的两种不良倾向。本文通过对历史人物的思想分析,以及历史事件背后的主导思想的剖析,令人信服地证明"拉美例外论",特别是"欧洲中心主义"教条的破坏性,进而证明只有将马克思主义普遍原理与拉美实际情况结合起来,在普遍性与特殊性之间达成辩证统一,才是促进拉美马克思主义发展的正确途径。全文简明扼要地梳理了拉美马克思主义的探索与发展历程,以及各个历史时期的标志性成就和代表性人物的思想观点。     

Review Essay Ethnicity, Identity and Nationality in Latin America

This essay surveys recent scholarship on the history of ethnicity in Latin America and the Atlantic World, exploring ways in which Jewish, Japanese and Middle Eastern minorities have transacted nationhood, identity and integration. This historiography of ethnicity offers compelling paths for understanding how transnational identities are negotiated. These include the analysis of patterns of slaveholding by Jewish communities on both sides of the Atlantic and the ways in which these communities understood blackness; the use of memory in understanding experiences of immigration; the relationships between national foreign policy and domestic ethnic politics; and the extent to which the issues of negotiating identity and asserting ethnicity are shared by a variety of immigrant ethnic groups. Together, this body of literature reflects the substantial ways in which ethnic histories interplay with other facets of national histories and with the process of historical analysis.     

Writing the Pentecostal history of Africa,Asia and Latin America

This article examines the writing of Pentecostal history and in particular, the biases and presuppositions associated with it. The problem of sources and the neglect of the important role of indigenous (‘native’) workers in the historiography of Pentecostalism in Africa, Asia and Latin America is the main focus. It refutes the idea of an American ‘Jerusalem’ and urges a rewriting of this history from the perspective of those who ‘received’ the Pentecostal missionaries from the West.     

Religious Engagement,Civic Skills,and Political Participation in Latin America

To what extent has the growth of Evangelicalism in Latin America contributed to political participation across the region? A number of scholars of religion and politics in the United States have suggested that Evangelicalism promotes the development of civic skills necessary for political engagement, while the Catholic Church, due to its hierarchical structure, provides fewer opportunities for skill acquisition. In this paper, we apply this debate to Latin America to test whether civic skills developed in Catholic and Protestant church activities lead to differential participation rates in 18 countries. We utilize the 2014 Pew Religion in Latin America survey to test these effects, and find that Protestant churches do indeed promote skill-developing activities at higher rates, but that Catholics, when involved, are more likely to translate this religious participation into political action. We conclude that political scientists must better understand the organizational role of religion in promoting political engagement worldwide.     

Expressions of Evangelism in Latin America

The purpose of this article is to explore the expressions of evangelism that are emerging in Latin America within the Evangelical‐Pentecostal context of the continent. We will do this by approaching our subject from the perspective of change, religious mutation and transformational change: we will first refer to the shift in evangelism and mission perspective in Latin America. We will explore the shift in numerical growth, then will deal with the shift in the concept and praxis of evangelism. This will be followed by a discussion on the shift from Western forms in church liturgy, music and hymnology to more contextual and indigenous expressions. Finally, I will refer to the shift toward holistic practices in times of turmoil and violence.     

Happiness, Markets, and Democracy: Latin America in Comparative Perspective

The literature on subjective well-being highlights the role of relative income differences, an issue which is particularly salient for the emerging market countries. We explore the demographic determinants of happiness in 17 countries in Latin America, as well as the effects of macroeconomic trends and attitudes about the market on happiness. We provide comparative reference with data from Russia and the United States. We find that the determinants of happiness in Latin America are remarkably similar to those in the advanced industrial countries. We also find a marked and negatively skewed perceptions gap between individuals' objective economic situations and their subjective evaluations in both Latin America and Russia. That gap, in turn, has negative effects on happiness. Inflation and unemployment have negative effects on happiness in both contexts, while pro-market attitudes and preference for democracy have positive effects.     

The Lutheran Confessions and Popular Religiosity in Latin America

Abstract: The early history of European missions in Latin America led to a close identity between Confessional Lutheranism and German culture. Following World War II that connection has been all but broken, and Lutherans now swim in the sea of Latin American pluralism, including popular religiosity or the people's religion. Constitutive of the latter is devotion to the saints; and the emphasis on “remembering the saints” in Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon may become valuable resources in contextualization.     

Psychology in Latin America: Historical reflections and perspectives

The present paper describes some of the most relevant events in the development of psychology in Latin America. After proposing a synthesis of antecedents, the paper addresses some scientific and professional activities leading to the birth of scientific psychology in several Latin American countries during the last decade of the 19th century. Next, the paper describes the foundation of university‐level institutions for education and professional training of psychologists during the first half of the 20th century. Finally, some reflections comment on the mechanisms which led to the creation and maintenance of several scientific communities contributing to a thriving contemporary Latin American psychology.