democracy and citizenship

Abstract

Why is it important to recover the concept of democracy in Latin America? What has been the performance of Latin American democracies since the 1980s in reducing inequalities? What happens to the idea of citizenship and participation? What are the obstacles to democratic deepening? This essay aims to introduce some perspectives to analyse these questions,focusing attention on the damage done by the traditions of the Global North and neoliberalism in the construction of an idea of democracy, capable of mobilizing the citizenship towards hegemonic and sovereign political projects that reduce Inequality and promote a welfare paradigm that responds to the needs and interests of the Latin American peoples.