Atilio Boron, Argentina, Second Edition Jury Member
The Second Competition was an eloquent display of the vigorous resurgence of critical thought in Latin America. The number and variety of works made the Jury’s work extremely difficult; we repeatedly felt uncomfortable having to abstain from giving well-deserved awards to works that were of outstanding quality. I am convinced that this initiative of the Ministry of Culture and of the Cuban Book Institute affords a first-class political-intellectual stimulus for the youthful generations in our America to seriously reflect, in a rigorous and revolutionary spirit, about the conditions prevailing in our countries. Due to the strategic nature of The Battle of Ideas, the contributions assembled by the Second Competition form a valuable contribution in this struggle.
Francois Houtart, Belgium, Second Edition Jury Member
The quantity and quality of the submissions was impressive. It was difficult to make choices among so many excellent texts. The collection is also evidence of the work being produced today in social sciences and in the concerns of progressive circles. It is truly inspiring to see no lack of this kind of thought, despite the weight of current neo-liberal trends.
Alfonso Sastre, Basque Region (Spain), President of the Third Edition Jury
The “against the mainstream” element of this Award is, at the same time, witness to the activity of a present critical intellectual stream which is making its appearance as a reorganization of something Ruben Dario called “so many scattered strengths”. This stream is, in effect, a counter-current in relation to the flight towards the right or the home-grown counter-commitment which has been noticed in the “inteligencia” panorama occurring as a result of phenomena in the past century such as the crash of hopes that might have been fostered by what was known as the “May ’68 Movement” and, above all, by the disappearance of the so-called “real socialism”.
