Democracy, a principle without end

The Portuguese sociologist and Director of the Center for Social Studies at the University of Coimbra, Boaventura de Sousa Santos, participated in Mexico in early February in the Conversation “Neoliberal Authoritarianism or Democratizing Democracy?: The Dispute for the Future in Latin America”, jointly organized by CLACSO and the “University Program of Studies on Democracy, Justice and Society” (PUEDJS-UNAM).

In an interview with CLACSO TV, he stated: “Democracy is a principle without end; that is why we must democratize, but in an intercultural and not monocultural way.”

Interviewed by Gustavo Lema

Regarding Chile as a laboratory for neoliberalism on the continent, De Sousa Santos highlighted the struggles that erupted in the South American country in October 2019: “All the information I have about the movements fighting for a plurinational constituent assembly shows a strong awareness of plurality, and of plurinationalism as well. This means that white and mestizo men and women are very aware that the pioneers of this struggle against neoliberalism were the Mapuche people, and that is why there is a plurinational idea. The Mapuche have their own democratic methods of deliberation. I am sure that this will contribute to broadening the concept of democracy on the continent.”