Student Research Stay on Critical Social Theory in Mexico

Critical social theory is an interdisciplinary theoretical direction between philosophy, sociology, and political science that addresses and reflects on crisis phenomena in their political, social, and geographical context. Latin and Central America today understand themselves as politically independent but have been philosophically influenced by Western traditions of thought. Natalia Fomina studied her Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Philosophy at TU Dresden and will be researching critical social theory in Mexico for six months from December 2023. 

The aim of the research stay at UNAM (Mexico City) and UNAQ (Santiago de Querétaro) is to examine the theoretical work of the Mexican social philosophers Bolívar Echevaría and Adolfo Sánchez Vázquez. They were centrally concerned with the contradictions inscribed in modernity and its „civilizing mission“ and searched for an alternative, non-colonial and non-capitalist modernity. During the research, the central philosophical positions of the two philosophers, who are unknown in Germany and Europe, will be explored and made fruitful for the European discourse from a comparative perspective. 

In addition to the theoretical research at the universities, field trips to the regions of Chiapas and Querétaro will take place. Historically and culturally rich, the regions are characterized by structural poverty and postcolonial inequalities. This means that the theoretical knowledge acquired is reflected in the context of current political and social problems.

It is planned to present the results as a publication and organize a seminar with the Department of Political Education at TU Dresden in the summer semester of 2024.

If you have any questions about the project, please contact natalia.fomina@mailbox.tu-dresden.de. 

The project is supported by FOSTER. FOSTER is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Free State of Saxony as part of the federal and state excellence strategy.