Suchergebnisse

The present state of the social sciences in Latin America goes back to the foundation of the Organization of American States & to the Cold War begun during the Truman administration. From 1945 to 1959, a neopositivist & neoempiricist sociology, inspired by conservative North American sociologists, dominated the field. Nevertheless, starting with the Cuban revolution (1959), a sociology directly committed to popular movements & in favor of a renovation of Marxist & revolutionary thinking emerged & confronted the reformist approach to social sciences. In the 1970s, the critique took position mainly against the "developmentalist" thinking of the ECLA (acronym not defined), the traditional theory of dependency, denouncing as an illusion the notion of independence & development under the leadership of the national bourgeoisie. In Chile, Salvador Allende's government & its overthrow (1970-1973) demonstrated the relationship between power & politics, while the revolutionary struggles in Central America drew emphasis to the problems of SC & coalitions, SC struggle, & national & international negotiation. In the 1980s, the dominant preoccupations in the countries with a constitutional regime centered on tensions between democracy & crisis. Latin American social thinking & the social sciences investigations must confront the "Second Cold War," which has bases for legitimation not only in the US but also in Europe, & not only in neoliberal thinking, but in neo-Marxist thinking as well. Modified AA

The theoretical objectives of the social security & national health care systems in Latin America are examined, focusing on the actual progress made toward universalization of care since WWII. Structural differences among the systems of different nations are analyzed, with particular attention to Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba, & Mexico. Data are drawn from various published studies; the analysis includes a review of the relevant legislation in the countries studied. C. Waters

About 30 million persons in the world are gravely undernourished & about 434 million are malnourished. Statistics on malnutrition as the basic cause of death in 17 Latin American countries for 1973-1976 from the World Health Organization are presented & discussed. Malnutrition is 'normal' for the lower classes in these countries. Official statistics underrepresent the problem, particularly for children, & intervention is sometimes difficult. About 20% of infant deaths in the second year of life may be due to malnutrition. Health services in many countries are inadequate to cover the majority of the lower classes. In Mexico, 29 surveys undertaken in 15 regions by the National institute of Nutrition between 1957 & 1966 show that the rural diet tends to be inferior to the urban diet & that in many areas an 8% to 10% caloric deficiency exists. Argentina in 1970 registered 2,439 deaths due to malnutrition; 1,655 were 1-year-old children. The final estimate is that in Latin America about 17% of deaths are caused by malnutrition. This quantification does not include mortality & morbidity based on nutritional deficiency during disasters, which tend to take an additional toll, as in Guatemala in 1976. 24 Tables. S. Whittle.

The social sciences, including political science, developed in Latin America between the 1930s & 1950s, on the basis of theoretical & methodological orientations imported from advanced capitalist societies. They have been unable to solve the problems of the region, especially those of economic development. They have been characterized by developmental reformism, & disjointed studies of microsociological & isolated processes (eg, migratory movements or community studies) on the one hand, & classical global conceptualizations on the other. These trends require synthesis. Only recently have there been efforts to move from these orientations toward historical interpretations, taking into account all the social contradictions & conflicts which constitute Latin American reality, particularly from a dialectical, Marxist viewpoint. During the last 10-15 years these efforts have resulted in historical studies of dependency & the insertion of local economies into the world capitalist system, the characteristic class & power structures of Latin American societies, & the exploration of revolutionary goals. While the social sciences have contributed to showing the necessity for revolution in Latin America, they have done little toward its realization. S. Whittle.