Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Marks, Susan

Area of Concentration

Religion

Abstract

This research is a product of interdisciplinary work focused on analyzing the connections between religious and secular social movements of Latin America and the way one can inform the development of the other. Seeking to understand the rise of liberation theology in the mid-twentieth century Latin American Catholic Church research points to the efforts of Gustavo Gutierrez in redefining the Church from the perspective of the poor. His idea of critical reimagination as necessary to begin the process of liberation for all focuses on solving some of the immediate issues in life – temporal, over the more traditional model of enriching what would be the eternal life. By shifting this structure the Catholic Church in Latin America provided more opportunities for inclusion of people belonging to lower socioeconomic classes. Despite seemingly opening up the tradition by reinterpreting the perspective in favor of a traditionally marginalized sector of society, liberation theology’s shortcomings center on its inability to dismantle the power structure of the Church. Echoing Gutierrez and the push of liberationists to provide more representation from the perspective of a marginalized group, el buen vivir addresses the lack of societal capital when it comes to including indigenous people. Being a more contemporary movement, el buen vivir stems from indigenous groups of the Andes region, and seeks to once again shift perspectives by putting the concerns of indigenous people at the top of the political agenda. Unlike liberation theology, el buen vivir does not seek to amend the oppressive structure of the church but instead subverts imposed societal systems by demanding a seat at the table of decision-making bodies.

Download

Share

COinS