Statement on the death of Enrique de la Garza Toledo, member and founder of the Working Group on Labor, Productive Models and Social Actors
El CLACSO Working GroupWork, production models and social actors" announces and regrets the sad passing in Mexico City of our colleague and friend ENRIQUE DE LA GARZA TOLEDO (1947-2021).
Enrique was a founder of our group, initially called “Subjects and Labor Organizations.” From its earliest years, alongside various researchers, he promoted, developed, and supported projects and debates that decisively contributed to expanding the horizons of labor studies in Latin America. During this period, academic and intellectual ties were forged, and respect and friendship grew. His passing deeply impacts our Working Group and, undoubtedly, the world of social sciences and labor studies.
Enrique de la Garza Toledo was one of the most important thinkers in Latin American social sciences. His legacy encompasses diverse areas: research, training, publication, management, outreach, and more. He laid substantial theoretical and methodological foundations for the advancement of labor studies, and his work remains an essential reference point in discussions about the transformations of work, organizations, and workers. It is also worth highlighting his numerous visits to countries in the region and other parts of the world, where he taught and learned from the existing political, social, and labor realities, as well as from the research processes carried out in each institution, center, program, or research group he had the opportunity to visit.
Enrique de la Garza Toledo's academic life was characterized by great productivity, evidenced by his more than forty books, over one hundred scientific articles, as well as chapters and papers presented at academic and non-academic events. The Latin American Treatise on the Sociology of Work, which he coordinated (FCE, 2000), shaped the discipline in this region of the world. And, indeed, much of his work is a frequent reference for different generations of researchers.
From our working group, we observed how Enrique's stature and influence grew progressively. We also noted how he valued the spaces provided by his colleagues within the group for his own reflections. On the CLACSO website, it is possible to find examples of his work in books such as: The Theoretical Challenges of Labor Studies Towards the 21st Century (1999), Productive Restructuring, the Labor Market, and Unions in Latin America (2000), The Work of the Future: The Future of Work (2001), Unions and New Social Movements in Latin America (2005), Work and Production Models in Latin America (2011), Work and the Crisis of Production Models in Latin America (2020), Critique of Neocolonial Reason (2021), etc. See: https://www.clacso.org.ar/libreria-latinoamericana/pais_autor_libro_resultado.php?campo=autor&texto=1021&pais=6.
Enrique de la Garza Toledo always sought to democratize access to information and knowledge production, building bridges with the world of students and workers. For this reason, for several years now much of his work has been freely accessible (http://sgpwe.izt.uam.mx/pages/egt/). Here you can find studies as interesting as: Social Theories and Work Studies: New Approaches (2006), Latin American Treatise on Sociology (2006), Towards an Expanded Concept of Work: From Classical to Non-Classical Work (2010), Non-Classical Work, Organization and Collective Action (2011), Treatise on the Methodology of the Social Sciences: Current Perspectives (2012), Labor Studies in Latin America (2016), Productive Configurations and Labor Relations in Multinational Companies in Latin America (2017), The Configurationist Methodology for Research (2018).
As a Working Group, we are deeply saddened and grieved by this regrettable and unexpected loss. At the same time, we acknowledge his legacy and teachings, his intellectual and political commitment. His memory compels us to redouble our efforts to continue developing labor research, always attentive to updating our discussions and formulating proposals that challenge monolithic thinking and uncritical interpretations. Those interested in labor studies in general have in the work of Enrique de la Garza Toledo an intellectual beacon that will never be extinguished, an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
Our team wishes to pay sincere tribute to Enrique de la Garza Toledo and extend our deepest condolences to Marcela Hernández Romo, his life partner, intellectual companion, and comrade in countless battles. We also extend this sentiment to his family and friends.
Farewell, dear Enrique.
Rest in peace
28 of March 2021
CLACSO Working Groups
Work, production models and social actors
Cecilia Senén González and Antonio Aravena Carrasco (Coordinators)
El CLACSO Working Group Work, production models and social actors It also endorses the obituary signed by all the institutions in which Enrique de la Garza participated:
This statement expresses the position of the Working Group Work, production models and social actors and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
