From Dependency to Liberation

In the early 1970s, Latin America and the Caribbean witnessed the emergence of Liberation Theology. An intellectual and spiritual expression of Liberation Christianity (M. Löwy), this theological movement had a significant impact on both the epistemological and sociopolitical spheres.

A precursor to what is now called the decolonial turn, Liberation Theology criticized the symbolic and material structures of modernity. Drawing on the contributions of dependency theory (A. G. Frank, Ruy Mauro Marini, etc.), liberation theologians highlighted the relationship between the center and the periphery. Furthermore, in conjunction with popular movements, Liberation Theology contributed to the configuration of a new political culture expressed today in two very important social movements: the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) in Brazil and the Neo-Zapatista Movement (EZLN) in Mexico.

On the other hand, it is important to mention that in the 1970s, intellectual movements such as Liberation Sociology (Camilo Torres, Orlando Fals Borda), Liberation Philosophy (Enrique Dussel), and the Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Paulo Freire) also developed, reflecting the innovation of Latin American critical thinking. In addition, we should note that in dialogue with the category of acculturation (from African anthropologists), some liberation theologians began to develop an indigenous theology, as was the case with Samuel Ruiz in Mexico.