Critical Theory in/on Latin America today: contributions and challenges
In this paper, I employ my book The Politics of Political Science: Rewriting Latin American Experiences (Routledge, 2019) as a platform to analyze the role of critical theory in the Latin American academy. The following questions will be explored: Where is the ‘home’ of critical theory -- ‘social science’, ‘theory’, the humanities, none/all of them? Does critical theory imply reframing the way we speak about the relationship between theory and empirical analysis – and how? What is the current situation of critical theorists in the region? What could potentially be the role of critical theory in the scholarly realms of theory, analysis and epistemology? And what are its contributions to Latin American Political Science in particular? Is there a future for critical theory in this discipline? What is, finally, its actual and potential role in Latin American studies broadly?