THE PATH OF A COMPROMISED INTELLECTUAL: FROM THE OCTOBER REVOLUTION TO THE HISTORICAL CLARIFICATION COMMISSION (INTERVIEW)

Resumen

This 2002 interview with Edelberto Torres-Rivas, who passed away in December 2018, relates both his academic and militant trajectories, showing how these two dimensions of his life are articulated and visible in his work and reflections. He begins by evoking the influence of his childhood in Guatemala and the importance of the political context of that period. He then goes back to the impact of events of a larger magnitude, such as the Cuban Revolution. He describes his time with the FLACSO and the CEPAL, his return to Central America, and the importance of the Sandinista Revolution at the time. Finally, Torres-Rivas recounts his return to Guatemala when it was on the path to democratisation, after the Peace Accords, and his role within the Commission for Historical Clarification. The declarations made in the interview shine a light on his personal path and the evolution of his convictions and compromises.