Poverty, Injustice, Liberation: Class Conflict in Latin America and The Theology of Gustavo Gutierrez
Raúl ZegarraUniversity of Harvard
This event is sponsored by the Lumen Christi Institute’s Nicklin Fellows Program, which supports and encourages University of Chicago undergraduate students to develop their intellectual maturity. Fabricio Wei, who designed this program, is a Nicklin Fellow. This program is for undergraduate students only.
What is the task of Christian theology in our time? How can we talk about God in the midst of poverty and injustice, without being naive or paternalistic? How can theology help us understand the call for liberation coming from people experiencing marginalization, violence and destitution?
In this class, we will address these and other key questions drawing from the work of one of the most influential theologians of the 20th and 21st centuries, Gustavo Gutierrez. We will focus on Gutierrez’s diagnosis of Modernity and how modern values such as autonomy and freedom, together with growing industrialization and capitalism shaped most theological discourse during the 20th century. With Gutierrez, we will examine whether modern, European and North American theology has been mainly focused on the needs of the most privileged in society, being often complicit with systems that cause poverty and inequality. In turn, we will study the emergence and main tenets of liberation theology as a response to both the inadequacies of modern theology and the needs of the poor and most vulnerable. Can theology be both a source for political liberation and spiritual growth, especially for those who experience the destructive effects of poverty, racism, and other affronts to our human dignity? Liberation theology’s answer is in the affirmative. Our task–through close textual analysis and critical discussion–will be to examine how Gutierrez and the liberation theology movement reached such a conclusion, while drawing lessons for the present.
Readings:
We will read Gustavo Gutierrez's The Power of the Poor in History (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1992 [1979]), Chapter 7, "Theology from the Underside of History." Optional reading includes the 1st Chapter of A Revolutionary Faith (Stanford UP, 2023) by Dr. Raul Zegarra.
Both the required and recommended readings will be distributed to participants via Dropbox and PDFs. If you prefer, you can pick up a printout of the readings at Gavin House (1220 E. 58th Street) Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm once they are ready. Please email David Strobach at dstrobach@lumenchristi.org to let us know you are coming.
Schedule:
2:30-3:00 | pre-event pastries and coffee
3:00-4:20 | Session 1
4:20-4:40 | Coffee break
4:40-6:00 | Session 2
Raúl E. Zegarra is Assistant Professor of Roman Catholic Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School. Before receiving his PhD from The University of Chicago, Raúl earned his master's degrees in philosophy and theology from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and the University of Notre Dame, respectively. An award-winning scholar of philosophy and theology, his research focuses on the relationship between faith and politics, with particular emphasis on how this relationship shapes the identity and commitments of minoritized groups. He is the author of four books, multiple book chapters, academic articles, and translations, including A Revolutionary Faith, (Stanford UP, 2023) devoted to liberation theology’s contributions to a theory of social justice that welcomes the role of religious commitments.
