(M)Existentialism: The Habitat of Emilio Uranga’s Thinking

“Emilio Uranga (1921-1988) articulates what we could call Existentialism “a la Mexicana”, Mexican existentialism, or (M)existentialism…It does not escape Mexican philosophers that a thinking of totality, a thinking that transcends contingency and place, has been the hallmark of philosophy since it’s naming by the Greeks.”

Uranga attempts to reduce the discourse of European universalizing to a practice of colonialism.

we are not certain of the existence of man in general …[or of] what passes itself off as man in general, namely, generalized European humanity.

Emilio Uranga, Análisis del ser del Mexicano (1952)

Uranga elevates the particular, rooted individual over an abstract, worldless universal. What’s less clear is if his critique serves to promote a more inclusive universalism or merely validates his own provincialism.

ASTER Mexicali (June 12, 2000) | NASA. Dramatic differences in land use patterns are highlighted in this image of the U.S.-Mexico border. Lush, regularly gridded agricultural fields on the U.S. side contrast with the more barren fields of Mexico.

The Philosophers’ Magazine: “(M)Existentialism: Carlos Alberto Sánchez scouts the habitat of Emilio Uranga’s thinking.“