Popular education and social movements in Latin America: the challenge of citizen participation

Abstract

The paper examines, through bibliographical research, the challenges currently placed to the Popular Social Movements in Latin America that intend to organize new forms of social struggle. In the current context, one of the biggest challenges for the Latin American people is resist against the intense demobilization of social agenda imposed by hegemonic globalization. Conservative forces emerge more strongly, revealing the interests of financial institutions economic power, combining media and market, and imposing an international political agenda. But, no power is absolute, regardless how strong its structure may be. Thus, the objective of the article is to show that the current situation in Latin America is important for its political experiences, which present alternative of participatory democracy and, also in the production of life via alternative economies.