Enrique Dussel: activism was his philosophy
Enrique Dussel: activism was his philosophy
Enrique Dussel passed away on November 5, 2023. CLACSO Working Group History and current situation: Marxist perspectivesWe wish to acknowledge the importance that his figure and work have had, have, and will have. A philosopher by training, the Latin American context transformed him into a political educator, a trainer of cadres, and a Marxist theorist.
Throughout his vast body of work, which includes numerous books, articles, newspaper columns, and lectures, Dussel maintained as his life's project the liberation of the world's peoples from oppression and exploitation. This was despite the neoliberal onslaught and the suffocating consensus of mediocrity that reigned in the academic world after 1989.
His encounter with Karl Marx, a consequence of his Mexican exile, led him to engage in dialogue between the perspective of the "philosophy of liberation" and a very particular Marxist tradition, one that began with a critique of the entirety of the social order and of modernity as a whole. He debated with European thinkers as an equal and contributed to the study of the history of the roots of Latin American thought.
Dussel's tetralogy on Marx is one of Latin American Marxism's greatest contributions to the world. It was a work that delved into the foundations of the critique of political economy and into the various drafts of Marx's thought. The CapitalFurthermore, his work was characterized by the rigorous and creative study of Marx's theological metaphors, based on the connection with the popular religious practices of the region, which led him to criticize the fetishism of the false gods of capital.
However, his work acquires greater vitality and meaning when linked to militant commitment, to the energy and passion for the cause of the Latin American peoples. Dussel will be remembered far beyond the university classroom. He will be recalled for his classes in Mexico City's Zócalo amidst the massive 2006 protests, in the jungle regions of Chiapas accompanying the Zapatistas and the progressive Latin American projects that emerged in response to neoliberalism, in the neighborhoods of El Alto, and at the University of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo.
Dussel's life demonstrates that thought has meaning when it becomes political action.
Enrique Dussel: militancy was his philosophy
On November 5, 2023, Enrique Dussel died. Do CLACSO Work Group History and conjuncture: Marxist perspectives, we want to register the importance of his figure and work tiveram, topic and terão. Philosopher by training, in Latin American circumstances he transformed into a political pedagogue, professor of paintings, popularizer and Marxist theorist.
In all of his vast production, which included a large number of books, articles, columns of journals and lectures, Dussel's life project was the liberation of two parts of the world of oppression and exploration. This is despite the neoliberal storm and the suffocating consensus of mediocrity that reigned in the academic world after 1989.
His encounter with Karl Marx, a product of his Mexican exile, led him to place the perspective of the "philosophy of freedom" in dialogue with a very particular Marxist tradition, which started from the horizon of criticism of the totality of the social order and of modernity as a whole. It was discussed with European thinkers on the basis of equality and contribution to the study of the history of the roots of Latin American thought.
Dussel's tetralogy on Marx is one of the greatest contributions of Latin American Marxism to the world. It was a work that deepened the foundations of political economy criticism and the various Capital editorials. Meanwhile, his work acquires greater vitality and meaning when associated with the militant commitment, energy and landscape of Dussel for the cause of two Latin American people.
Dussel will be named outside the university classroom. He will be taught by his classrooms in the Zócalo of Mexico City in the middle of the big protest of 2006, in the jungle areas of Chiapas accompanying the Zapatistas, in the favelas of El Alto or at the Universidade das Mães da Plaza de Mayo.
Dussel's life shows that thought becomes meaningful when it becomes political.
November 8th 2023
CLACSO Working Group
History and current situation: Marxist perspectives
This text expresses the position of the aforementioned Working Group and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
