Knowledge and Freedom in the Work of Luis Villoro

This open access introduction to the major Mexican philosopher and activist Luis Villoro shows how his ideas can reshape contemporary thought. Carlos Montemayor tells the story, through a philosophical lens, of this leading Mexican thinker and his quest for justice and freedom. At the heart of the book is Villoro’s liberational approach to knowledge production.He believed an education aimed at integrating freedom with knowledge stands in opposition to escapist epistemologies which unfortunately dominate our times. By showing how Villoro's ideas relate to contemporary thought, Montemayor exemplifies how the decolonization of philosophy and academia can be done productively and in a rigorous way. Montemayor connects Villoro to philosophers who thought deeply about oppression, injustice, and knowledge-production, in Latin America and around the world.We see how Villoro’s unique trajectory compares with the work and political actions of other Latin American philosophers who shared his interests including bell hooks and Gloria Anzaldúa. From Villoro’s early writings on epistemology and Mexican history to his involvement in Zapatismo, we find out how his ideas turned into actions. This is a compelling portrait of one the most important figures in 20th-century Mexican philosophy.For anyone interested in Latin American perspectives it is an essential guide to the work of a philosopher who spent most of his life trying to understand the complexity of the American continent and its original habitants. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by San Francisco State University.