Phenomenology as a liberating method in intercultural philosophy from and for Latin America

Abstract

The article explores how phenomenology, particularly in the context of Latin America, can become a liberating tool by questioning colonial structures of thought and creating an intercultural dialogue that respects diverse worldviews. Latin America has historically been a site of oppression and marginalization, from colonialism to neoliberalism, and this legacy of subjugation has fueled a philosophy aimed not only at understanding but also at transforming this reality.

Phenomenology, with its focus on lived experience and Husserl's phenomenological reduction (epoché), enables questioning Eurocentric frameworks and recovering marginalized forms of knowledge and life. From this perspective, the  “lifeworld “ (Lebenswelt) is not singular but plural, adapting to the experiences and contexts of each culture. Authors such as Raúl Fornet-Betancourt and Enrique Dussel propose a phenomenology that confronts cultural colonialism and promotes an ethical and political recognition of the oppressed  “Other “ (the indigenous person, the peasant, the marginalized woman) allowing for a dialogue where these peoples are neither assimilated nor instrumentalized.

The intercultural philosophy emerging here does not seek a homogeneous universality but rather a plurality that preserves cultural identities and acknowledges their contributions. Phenomenology thus enables the construction of  “conviviality “ or harmonious coexistence in a  “pluriverse, “ where all worldviews and ways of life have a place. This approach not only challenges modernity and Eurocentrism but also proposes the need to build social and political relationships that go beyond individual interests, promoting an ethic of coexistence and complementarity. In sum, the proposed intercultural philosophy seeks to decolonize thought and position Latin America within a space of dialogue and resistance to the dominant world-system