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| Consejo Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales (CLACSO) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Consejo Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales |
| Formation | 1967 |
| Founder | Raúl Prebisch, Aníbal Pinto |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Headquarters | Buenos Aires |
| Region served | Latin America, Caribbean |
| Membership | Research centers, universities, institutes |
Consejo Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales (CLACSO) is a regional network of social sciences and humanities research centers and postgraduate programs founded in 1967 that coordinates collaborative research, policy dialogue, and capacity building across Latin America and the Caribbean. It links institutions and scholars to engage with public policy debates involving actors such as UNESCO, ECLAC, and World Social Forum participants, while maintaining a strong orientation toward critical and emancipatory approaches associated with figures like Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Raúl Prebisch, and Aníbal Pinto. The council operates through thematic programs, open access publishing, and regional training aligned with movements including Latin American Social Medicine, Dependency theory, and the work of intellectuals like Eduardo Galeano and Paulo Freire.
CLACSO emerged in the context of development debates and political transformations during the 1960s and 1970s, linked to intellectual currents fostered by ECLAC and economists such as Raúl Prebisch and politicians like Arturo Frondizi. Early formation involved universities and research centers from countries including Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil, responding to authoritarian interventions that affected institutions like Universidad de Buenos Aires and Universidad de São Paulo. During the Cold War era CLACSO interacted with networks around Dependency theory, engaged debates featuring Theotonio dos Santos and Fernando Henrique Cardoso, and faced constraints under regimes such as those led by Augusto Pinochet and Jorge Rafael Videla. In the democratization waves of the 1980s and 1990s CLACSO expanded ties to civil society actors involved with MST, CONADEP, and regional bodies including OAS initiatives. In the 21st century CLACSO incorporated digital dissemination practices in dialogue with Open Access advocates and institutions like RedCLARA.
CLACSO is governed by an elected council and a secretariat headquartered in Buenos Aires, drawing leadership from representatives of member institutions such as FLACSO, UNAM, and national academies like the Academia Nacional de Ciencias Morales y Políticas. Its statutes define thematic committees, regional coordinations (Andean, Southern Cone, Central America, Caribbean), and an advisory board that has included scholars connected to UNESCO, CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs), and the Inter-American Development Bank. Decision-making combines plenary assemblies of delegates with working groups that interact with funders including Ford Foundation and multilateral partners such as UNDP.
Membership encompasses research centers, postgraduate programs, university departments, and think tanks across nations like Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Honduras, and Jamaica. Notable member institutions have included Instituto de Estudios Sociales y Económicos, Centro de Estudios Sociales y Políticos (CESP), and country-level consortia linked to ministries and foundations such as Fundación Ford affiliates. The network fosters linkages with international scholarly associations like the LASA, the International Sociological Association, and regional platforms such as CLACSO Regional Network nodes and national research councils including CONICET.
CLACSO organizes thematic programs across areas historically emphasized in the region: social movements, migration, gender studies, indigenous rights, agrarian change, urban studies, public policy, and human rights. Programs have produced collective agendas engaging with scholars connected to Néstor Kirchner era policy debates, Latin American feminist networks associated with figures like Julieta Montaña and Carla Lonzi, and indigenous intellectuals collaborating with organizations such as COICA. Collaborative research projects have been coordinated with entities like ECLAC, PAHO, and universities including Universidad de Chile, producing comparative studies on topics addressed in forums like the World Social Forum.
CLACSO operates a publishing platform that assembles working papers, books, and journals in open access, collaborating with repositories such as SciELO, Redalyc, and networks like RedCLARA. Its digital library hosts collections by authors and institutions including Raúl Prebisch, Aníbal Pinto, Paulo Freire, Boaventura de Sousa Santos, and journals comparable to those published by FLACSO and UNAM. The initiative advances licensing practices influenced by Creative Commons frameworks and interoperability standards shared with DOAJ partners.
CLACSO conducts doctoral schools, regional seminars, and online courses in partnership with academic programs at FLACSO Argentina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Universidad de São Paulo, and civil society organizations like Amnesty International country sections. Training targets researchers from institutions such as CONICET, CONACYT, and university faculties engaged in professional development tied to international programs administered by UNESCO and UNDP.
The council has influenced public debates and policy formulation by informing reports submitted to bodies like ECLAC, OAS, and parliamentary committees in countries including Chile and Argentina. It partners with transnational movements and institutions such as World Social Forum, UN Women, and foundations like Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations, contributing to policy dialogues on migration informed by research from Universidad Iberoamericana and human rights documentation used by truth commissions like Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación.
Critiques of CLACSO have pointed to tensions over political orientation, funding transparency with donors like Fundación Ford and Open Society Foundations, and the representativeness of member institutions relative to grassroots movements such as MST and indigenous councils like CONAIE. Debates have arisen regarding editorial decisions in its publishing platform and academic autonomy under pressure during authoritarian periods exemplified by interventions in universities during the eras of Augusto Pinochet and Alberto Fujimori.
Category:Organizations based in Buenos Aires Category:Latin American studies