Latin American thought and general studies at the National University of Costa Rica: a study from 1975 to 2016

Abstract

General studies are part of the being and doing in the public universities of Costa Rica, they are the point of reference for first-time students to delve into broader and more problematizing planes of reflection, in each of the areas of thought. The purpose and contribution
of this essay, the result of academic research, pretends to describe the perspective that the Center for General Studies (CEG hereinafter) of the National University (UNA hereinafter) has had, with a Latin American perspective, in its orientation and problematization from the area of philosophy, forming critical thinking contextualized in the immediate region. There is no intention to describe or debate Latin American identity in ontological terms, the dilemma of civilization and barbarism, or the importance of Latin America and Latin American thought in the context of neoliberalism and the current globalized world, given that these contents should be developed in separate articles or essays. Decoloniality, cultural studies, or interculturality, among other topics related to a Latin American viewpoint, are raised from this essay of ideas.