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The Biography of François Houtart

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The Biography of François Houtart Translation from Spanish: Josephine Victoria Bawtree Proofreading: Ida María Ayala Rodríguez Design: Maikel Martínez Pupo Layout: Bárbara Fernández Portal © Carlos Tablada, 2018 © For the present edition: Ruth Casa Editorial, 2018 All rights reserved ISBN 978-9962-703-58-7 No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without the prior permission of Ruth Casa Editorial. All rights reserved in every language in accordance with the law. CONTENTS ABOUT THIS BOOK XI A life lived as intensely as possible XIII In Memory of François Houtart XIII Interaction with Chinese Intellectuals XV Father, Thinker and Militant XVIII The Vatican Council II. XXII The Academia XXII Social Movements XXIII Reasons for this book XXVII PART ONE A WORLD OF CERTAINTIES CHAPTER I: Early Years. Family Origins 3 Childhood and Early Education 9 Social, Ethical and Cultural Values 12 My Inclination for the Priesthood 14 CHAPTER II Catholic and Pastoral Training 16 The Second World War 16 Entering the Seminary 18 The Resistance 20 End of the War 22 Contacts with the Young Catholic Workers 26 PART TWO THE BEGINNINGS OF CRITICAL, SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS THINKING CHAPTER III Social Studies 33 At the University 33 First Contacts with Urban Sociology 36 CHAPTER IV: First Encounters with US Society 40 A New Country, a New World 40 Urban Pastoral Work in Chicago 43 V Studies in Chicago 47 A Latin American Parenthesis: Cuba and Haiti 49 Last Sojourns in the United States and Canada 52 CHAPTER V: Immersion in Latin America with the YCW 60 Central America 60 South America 64 One More Latin American 79 CHAPTER VI: Academic and Research Work. Return to Latin America 82 Between the Diocese of Malines and the Socio-Religious Research Centre of Brussels 82 Towards Latin America Again 89 The Latin American Research 92 Camilo Torres 102 Liberation Theology 110 Consequences of the Focus and Work of FERES 115 CHAPTER VII: The Vatican Council II 117 The Convocation 117 Conciliar Activities 119 CHAPTER VIII:From Pastoral Structures to the Academic 132 The New Context of Socio-Religious Research 132 The First Tricontinental Study: Latin America, Asia, Africa 134 Moving to a Marxist Approach in Sociology 138 CHAPTER IX: THE TRICONTINENTAL CENTRE (CETRI) 149 Institutionalization of Intellectual, Social and Political Solidarity 149 Activities 150 An Exceptional Colleague: Geneviève Lemercinier 158 PART THREE AT THE HEART OF THE GREAT TRANSFORMATION CHAPTER X: THE UNITED STATES: AN EMPIRE IN DECLINE.. THE VARIOUS FACETS OF THE USA 163 Religious and Academic Exchanges 163 Political Encounters 167 Vietnam War 168 Social and Capitalist Catholics 170 The CIA 173 Invasion of Czechoslovakia 175 Postmodern America 176 CHAPTER XI: THE SOCIALISM OF EASTERN EUROPE 181 The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe: Socialism in Search of a Soul 181 Among the Soviet Academics 185 Other Countries of Eastern Europe 190 Poland 190 Yugoslavia 193 The Soviets and the Struggles of the South 194 CHAPTER XII: MEXICO, CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 198 Latin American Revolutions, Liberation Christianity and Post-Liberalism 198 Mexico 198 Religious Life 198 VI The Intellectual Milieu 201 Political World 214 The Zapatistas 215 Nicaragua 223 The Church and the Sandinista Revolution 223 Our Research Work 225 Contacts with Sandinism 228 Visit of Pope John Paul II 233 End of the First Sandinista Government 238 Return to power of the Sandinista Front 241 El Salvador 247 Honduras 254 Cuba 261 Contacts in the Religious Field 261 Academic Encounters 268 Visit of John Paul II 272 Discussions at Political Level 277 Fidel Falls Ill 282 Poverty in Cuba 287 Human Rights in Cuba 288 Prospects for Transformation? 290 Haiti 296 CHAPTER XIII: SOUTH AMERICA 303 Colombia 303 Venezuela 323 Ecuador 338 Bolivia 373 Brazil 387 Political Experiences 395 The Landless Workers Movement (MST) 402 CHAPTER XIV:OTHER LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES AND THE FUTURE OF THE CONTINENT 413 Argentina 413 Chile and Paraguay 416 Latin American Cinema 417 CHAPTER XV:SOUTH AND SOUTH-EAST ASIA 418 Sri Lanka 418 India 423 Bangladesh 431 Thailand 433 Indonesia 435 Philippines 437 CHAPTER XVI: VIETNAM 443 First Contacts 443 Journeys in a Devastated Land and Sociological Cooperation 447 VII Hai Van, a Rural Commune 458 The Study and its Publication 461 Academic and Political Exchanges 463 A Parenthesis after a Decade of Collaboration 466 Relations between the Catholic Church and Vietnamese Government 468 Doi Moi and its Repercussions 470 Changes in Mentalities 474 The Future of Vietnam 478 CHAPTER XVII:EASTERN ASIA AND THE ASIAN PANORAMA 480 Japan 480 The Asian Little Dragons 481 South Korea 481 Hong Kong 484 Singapore 486 Taiwan 486 China 488 The Future of Asia 493 CHAPTER XVIII: AFRICA IN THE LAST STAGES OF COLONIZATION 498 Africa: Struggles for Decolonization and for Recovering the Economy 498 Belgian Colonies 498 An Interlude in the Holy Land 500 African Inputs to the Christianity Encyclopaedia 501 Liberation Struggles in the Portuguese Colonies 503 Apartheid in South Africa 507 Eritrea 511 CHAPTER XIX: THE DIFFICULT BIRTH OF INDEPENDENCE IN AFRICA 513 Former Portuguese Colonies 513 Angola 513 Mozambique 515 Guinea Bissau 519 Cape Verde 522 Congo Kinshasa 524 Other African Countries 527 General Context and Future of the Continent 527 The African Context 527 CHAPTER XX: THE MIDDLE EAST 530 The Middle East and the Arab World: Imperial Control, Cultural and Political Fundamentalism and Social Emancipation 530 Afghanistan 530 Iraq 532 Turkey 534 Syria 536 Lebanon 540 CHAPTER XXI: NORTH AFRICA 542 Morocco 542 Algeria 544 VIII Egypt 548 Tunisia 550 The Sociology of Islam 552 The Arab World and Latin America 553 CHAPTER XXII: EUROPE SEEN FROM THE GLOBAL SOUTH 554 Europe, a Continent of Contradictions 554 The Anti-Systemic Struggles and Where They Are Taking Place 561 Confrontations with the Actors in the Capitalist System 561 On The Side of Justice: On The Left 566 PART FOUR THE SEARCH FOR A POST-CAPITALIST PARADIGM OF THE COLLECTIVE LIFE ON THE PLANET: THE COMMON GOOD OF HUMANITY CHAPTER XXIII: THE WORLD FORUM FOR ALTERNATIVES 571 A New Space for Alternatives 571 Collaboration with Samir Amin 576 CHAPTER XXIV: THE COMMON GOOD OF HUMANITY 578 At the United Nations with the Stiglitz Commission 578 Spreading the Concept 584 Scenarios and Challenges of the Contemporary World 590 CHAPTER XXV: SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS COMMITMENTS 594 The Contribution of the Christian Faith 594 Social Commitment 600 Networks and Marches 602 Research, Theoretical Elaboration and the Spreading of Knowledge 606 Sociology of Religion 609 Urban Sociology 610 Rural Sociology 611 Sociology of Liberation Struggles 613 Sociology of Culture 613 Sociology of Development, The Liberation Struggles, Alterglobalization and the Common Good of Humanity 614 Diffusion 615 CHAPTER XXVI: MUSING ON THE EXPERIENCE OF LIFE 617 How to Profess One’s Faith? 617 The Meaning of Life and Death 622 A LIFE IN PICTURES 625 A GENEALOGICAL RÉSUMÉ OF THE HOUTART FAMILY 647 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF FRANÇOIS HOUTART In original titles* 649 IX X ABOUT THIS BOOK François Houtart never thought of writing my memoirs. I considered there were more important things to do. It was the insistence of my friend I and colleague Carlos Tablada who with his irresistible tenacity convinced me to record memories of my experiences. Without him and his questioning I would never have done it. This book is the fruit of his initiative; he is the author of its conception, design, planning, structure and way to bring it to its final stage. Carlos informed me of all the above and for my part, I just gave my consent to his idea and to the way to give expression to it. At the beginning the venture took over six years for the first edition –to which should be added other seven years for the process of updating it and issuing a new book. This was not because of its significance but because of the scant time in the midst of our activities. My work is described in this book. That of Carlos is focused on his duties as full researcher for the Centro de Investigación de la Economía Mundial (CIEM); on his creation and development of the Ruth Casa Editorial, with dozens of books published through his highly efficient editorial work; on his writings as an author and co-author of numerous books; on the organization, development and management of the World Forum for Alternatives (WFA) website, which is produced in six languages; among various other tasks. These memoirs are not presented in chronological order, but rather arranged by themes, generally geographical ones, including occasional reflections. It is a question of providing the context XI in which I tried to develop analysis and theoretical reflections which have been collected in several volumes that are cited in the following chapters. I do not intend to present a new philosophy, but rather an experience of life, with personal reactions and anecdotes that help understand its meaning, leaving the task for the readers to discover the logic and make their own interpretation. My truth is presented here with no pretension of originality or infallibility. I am very well aware that each individual is an actor, the result of a context that conditions them. I have been very lucky to find myself at the crossroads of various networks of social relations. What was interesting for me in this narrative is having lived in a specific period of human history, in various places as it was unfolding: what Karl Polanyi1 called ‘The Great Transformation’. This is not enough to achieve a theoretical treatise, but it can perhaps help situations that are not very well known to come out to light at least from a particular angle. I should stress, however, that the quotes from conversations that appear in this book convey the meaning of these communications as I perceived them at the time and they are not a verbatim report.
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