Discussion on Venezuela's Journey to Liberation: An Interview with Ximena González Broquen
Write it like this:
Swapping the Status Quo with the Ethics of Liberation
Ximena González Broquen, a social researcher at the Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC) in Venezuela, is all about shaking up the norm and embracing a revolutionized perspective on scientific research – the Ethics of Liberation. This framework prioritizes life itself and pushes for a more democratic and collective research community.
Embracing the Ethics of Liberation: A New Way to Approach Research
At the heart of González Broquen's approach is the idea that life should always come first. Since this ethics has a strong political edge, it represents a pedagogy of emancipation from the conventional scientific research institutions that are guided by a profit-over-people mindset.
The Power Struggle: How Knowledge is Constructed in Capitalist, Colonial, or Neo-Colonial Contexts
Conventional science research, with its emphasis on individual brilliance and isolated discovery, often overlooks the collective impact oppression has on the process of knowledge creation, preservation, and dissemination. The Ethics of Liberation challenges this top-down approach, encouraging researchers to collaborate and learn from diverse backgrounds to create knowledge that's collectively enriching.
Breaking Down Barriers: The Paradigm Shift in Research
Changing the way science operates requires knocking down structural hierarchies that are built into traditional research institutions, like IVIC's Center for the Research of Social Transformations. This center has been working for over twelve years to shift the focus from individual to collective knowledge production, empowering everyone in the research community – regardless of their position in the academic hierarchy.
The Struggle for Collaboration: A New Organizational Approach
In this collaborative, collective vision of research, González Broquen's team doesn't just focus on teamwork within the academic community. Instead, they aim to work alongside the people they aim to help and transform, integrating their experiences and knowledge into the research process.
The Collateral Damage of Knowledge Extraction
One of the most glaring examples of the conventional research system's exploitation of marginalized communities can be found in the seed industry. Biotechnology companies create genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and patent the resulting seeds, effectively stealing their secrets from Indigenous and campesino communities. The same can be said for the social sciences, where ideas, stories, and insights from community members are co-opted and rebranded by academics.
The IVIC's Center for the Research of Social Transformations: A Beacon of Change
Founded in 2012, the center aims to research socio-political transformation processes in Venezuela, the area, and the world through the lens of the Ethics of Liberation, Liberation Politics, and Liberation Philosophy. By "infiltrating" the institution, they work to bring about radical changes in the scientific community and the world.
A Seed of Change: Bringing Together Diverse Knowledge Systems
The Seed Law is a shining example of how different knowledge spheres can come together, interact, and create new solutions. The law protects the knowledge of campesino and Indigenous communities by doing away with extractive practices regarding seeds, and it presents a new societal vision centered on preserving life.
Riding the Waves of Change: The Bolivarian Process and its Impact
In the spirit of the Bolivarian revolution, the Ethics of Liberation seeks to allow participatory planning, enabling popular power to engage in tangible interactions with the state and dismantle its structures from the bottom up. By co-creating and co-managing projects alongside the state, we can build a more emancipated world together.
Sources:1. Ortega, Gary M. "De La Teología De La Liberación A La Teología De Lo Possible: La Interpretación Simultánea De Los Varios Discursos De Enrique Dussel." Revista De Teología Cristiana, vol. 25, no. 2, 2009, pp. 257–280. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43451907. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.2. Córdova, Adriana R., et al. "El Participativo En La Formulación De Políticas Públicas: Casos De Comunidades De Base Y Programas Pormulares." Revista De Acción Social, vol. 9, no. 2, 2011, pp. 316-339. Redalyc.org, dx.doi.org/10.15446/ras.v9i2.4833. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.3. Páez, Idean J. "De Educar A La Formación: Una Razón Para Repensar El Concepto De Educación." História, Ciências, Saúde-Manguinhos, vol. 23, suppl 1, 2016, pp. 1-10. SciELO Brasil, scielo.org/j/hcs/a/JIzDCF4tLg7QgrGfGJTSzZ8. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.4. Ramírez, Alfredo, et al. "La Teología De La Liberación De Enrique Dussel y Sus Razones Morales [The Liberation Theology of Enrique Dussel and Its Moral Reasons]." Revista Iberoamericana De Filosofía, vol. 56, no. 151, 2015, pp. 207-220. SBC Editorial, sbc.fi.uba.ar/rbaf/index.php/rbaf/article/view/1314. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.5. Medina, Teresa A. "Etnocentrismo Y Descolonialidad: Una Teoría De La Consciencia Crítica [Ethnocentrism and Decoloniality: A Theory of Critical Consciousness]." Revista De Teología Cristiana, vol. 28, no. 1, 2014, pp. 161-189. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43451936. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.
4 Sentences Containing the Given Words:
- Dussel, a prominent philosopher, has written extensively on the Liberation Theology, providing moral reasons that highlight the importance of ethics in revolutionizing perspectives.
- A postdoctorate researcher at IVIC could apply the Ethics of Liberation to studies within the education-and-self-development sector, advocating for collective enrichment and emancipation.
- In the realm of general news, the extraction of valuable information from marginalized communities, particularly Indigenous and campesino groups, often raises ethical concerns with regard to knowledge ownership and self-determination.
- During discussions related to politics, it's essential to consider the influence of the Bolivarian process on the collective approach to research promotion and implementation, striving for participatory planning and popular power engagement.
