This reflection entails a multidimensional and transdisciplinary perspective that engages in dialogue with the cultural traditions, ancestral memories and symbolic narratives of peoples. It is not only about analyzing the future, but also about recovering knowledge and historical experiences capable of contributing to the reconstruction of the human, communal and spiritual fabric.
Within the framework of the reflections prompted by the 59th International Congress of Americanists, it is especially significant to recognize that Latin American humanities have been deeply marked by the complementarity between thought, spirituality and historical action. From critical philosophical currents to Latin American theologies (particularly liberation theology and the theology of hope), Latin America has shaped an intellectual and spiritual tradition that understands academic reflection as praxis committed to social transformation, human dignity and the construction of justice.
General objective
To foster a multidimensional and interdisciplinary reflection on the role of the humanities in reconstructing the meaning of human life, highlighting the contributions of Latin American experiences in the fields of theology, philosophy, the arts, history and literature, in the face of contemporary challenges related to conflict, vulnerability, cultural crisis and the search for meaning.
Problem-based axes of reflection
1. Corporeality, otherness and embodied anthropology
Latin American cultural manifestations, ancestral conceptions of communal life, and symbolic representations arising in territories of great biocultural richness allow for the development of an integral understanding of the body, alterity and human existence. From this perspective, the body is not only a biological reality but also a site of memory, vulnerability, encounter and political construction.
2. Vulnerability and social conflict
Latin American history, marked by multiple forms of violence, exclusion and social injustice, is also a history of resistance, hope and symbolic reconstruction. In this context, vulnerability must be understood not only as individual fragility, but as a constitutive condition of human existence and social bonds.
3. Arts, literature and symbolic restitution
Artistic and literary expressions have played a fundamental role in the critical interpretation of Latin American reality. Art, music, literature, folklore and diverse cultural narratives constitute spaces of memory, denunciation, sensitivity and the reconstruction of meaning.
4. Religions, dialogue and the giving of meaning
Religious and spiritual traditions continue to be fundamental spaces for constructing meaning, community and hope. In a global context marked by polarization, individualism and uncertainty, interreligious dialogue presents itself as a concrete possibility for encounter, mutual recognition and peacebuilding.
