Luis Rubén Díaz Cepeda - Social Movements and Latin American Philosophy: From Ciudad Juárez to Ayotzinapa

Social Movements and
Latin American Philosophy

LEXINGTON BOOKS

Lanham Boulder New York London

TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

A mi hija Luisa Violeta:

que los unicornios te lleven a la libertad.

This book by Luis Rubn Daz Cepeda, written in Ciudad Jurez, Mexico, on the border with the United States, between the Latin and Anglo-Saxon world, was conceived first in Spanish (as part of his work while in the Political Philosophy doctoral program at the Autonomous Metropolitan University-Iztapalapa in Mexico City) and is now completed in English. This book has the advantage of placing itself in the right place of enunciation (locud enuntiationis): between the geopolitically dominating global North and the underdeveloped and exploited global South. It is then both a philosophy and a methodology that plays the role of a bridge comparing and debating two worlds, doing so in dialogue and also in war. How can we not see the market for drug consumption by a partially frustrated people (due to unemployment caused by the responsibility of companies seeking labor in countries with lower wages) and the existence of mafias engaged in production and selling those drugs? If there were no market there would be no need for the mafias existence. How can we not see the cause of violence in one country that manufactures the best weapons then sold in another (corruptly circumventing the borders of both sides) which uses them to murder their sisters and brothers in order to meet the demands of the drug market? Ciudad Jurez is in the midst of that world of terror, of femicide, of drugs, of daily crime, all of which result from being the frontier of two confronting worlds. Dr. Luis Rubn Daz Cepeda thinks philosophically in that dangerous meeting place of the North and the South. To think from that perspective is a privilege!

Thus, the problems of philosophy and the political sciences obtain there in the borderland a violent ongoing struggle which cannot fail to be present in the committed thinker. The topics covered not only are issues theoretically debated in universities or in scientific communities, but also dominate the daily conversation of ordinary citizens. It is concrete philosophy that tries to fulfill one of K. Marxs Feuerbachs Theses that says: Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.

This book deals with the concept of social movement with respect to social class and the people. In Latin America, the interpretative category of social class is in crisis (although it should not be ruled out), and it must be integrated into the most comprehensive and political category of the people, which for decades has sparked a heated controversy that is still partly unsolved. Furthermore, thanks to Anbal Quijano, the class system is being partially replaced by the more comprehensive category of race (or racialization of social relations). Luis Rubn Daz Cepeda enters the debate successfully trying to take a step forward. His work is welcomed.

We can only salute this publication, and, better yet, the reading of it, hoping the author will follow the same fruitful path in his future fronterizo endeavors.

Enrique Dussel A.

Professor Emeritus of UAM-I

Emeritus Researcher of the National System of Researchers

Eventually National Secretary of Political Formation of Morena (party in power in Mexico).

Undoubtedly, one of the most trying tasks in writing a book is the acknowledgments, as there is always the risk of leaving someone out. If that proves to be the case, I apologize in advance. First of all, I want to thank my very dear friend Ruby Montana for her unconditional support and assistance in the writing process of this manuscript. Without her magic, this book would not be anywhere near to what it is now. I also want to thank my friends and colleagues Susana Bez, Vctor Hernndez, Roberto Snchez, and Roberto Estrada, as well as my students in the Philosophy Doctoral Program and my students in the Sociology Bachelors Program at the University of Jurez (Universidad Autnoma de Ciudad Jurez, UACJ). Their comments and encouragement were essential in the research and writing process.

I wish to also recognize the financial support I received from the Program for Professor Professional Development (Programa para el Desarrollo Profesional Docente, para el Tipo Superior PRODEP) of the National Council for Science and Technology (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologa, CONACYT). This generous funding made it possible to conduct my research in the best possible conditions. My gratitude also goes to the authorities, colleagues, and staff of UACJ, without their day-to-day commitment this book would not have been possible. I am also in debt to Pablo Chavarria, my research assistant, for his dedication to this project.

I will always be grateful to my family for their unconditional love and guidance, especially as I was conducting my extensive research. I am particularly thankful for my wife Ana Laura, who tirelessly cared for our daughter Luisa Violeta while I was focused on the writing. She managed this role while simultaneously meeting her own professional obligations and for this, she will always serve as a source of inspiration and encouragement. Ana Laura, I love and respect you. It is only fair to also recognize the direct support of my extended family: my mother-in-law, Angela, and my stepsons Jair and Ivan, without whom it would not have been possible to write this book. My gratitude also goes to my mother Maria de Lourdes, and my late father Francisco Javier; their love of life and their work ethic set a lifetime example for me. To my brothers Javier and Ren, thank you for being there for me when I needed you the most.