Reflexiones sobre la transición democrática en América Latina: el problema del cambio en la continuidad y la continuidad del cambio

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to recover some key ideas of the unfinished discussion about democratic transition in the region, by pointing out three interconnected edges or analytical levels: 1) epistemic-discoursive, by considering the meaning of transition concept in relation to its context’s application; 2) socio-historical, in the distinction of those social moments and situations which appear by tensioning the legitimacy of democratic institutions at a regional level; 3) critical-political, by demystifying the possibility to establish a clear profile between stages of transition / post-transition in each national case, also into an understanding of "democratization" as an ongoing process, complex and dynamic, not linear nor univocal.