Abstract
This essay considers the implications and underlying assumptions of the one of the most influential statements of Latin American utopianism and universalism: Vasconcelos's essay on the Cosmic State. The essay is concerned with the apparent irreconcilability of two sets of understandings of those assumptions: one centred on the possibility that the universal might be realised in a given place and time, and the other that denies this. The essay traces this divide, through the critical debate around Vasconcelos and the interpretation of the essay, in a way that sets out the choice that a reader must make, and the implications of that choice.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Utopias in Latin America |
| Subtitle of host publication | past and present |
| Editors | Juan Pro |
| Place of Publication | Eastbourne |
| Publisher | Sussex Academic Press |
| Chapter | 11 |
| Pages | 215-234 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781845199227 |
| Publication status | Published - May 2018 |