Panel 2. The Professional Practice of Architecture in Latin America and Its Relationship to Traditional Knowledge and Sociocultural Practices in Each Region in the Face of the Challenge of Globalization

In the final decades of the 20th century and so far in the current century, the phenomenon of globalization in Latin America has put pressure on the survival of the sociocultural practices of certain communities and their unique ways of life. This is the case for indigenous, Afro-descendant, and Romani communities. Likewise, rural communities remain tied to building practices that respond to the specific conditions of the territories they inhabit. While some of these practices may be recognized within the realm of cultural heritage, the guarantee of their survival continues to be threatened by the pressures of the globalized world. In this sense, conservationist discourses seek to rescue and highlight practices, techniques, and methods that are in danger of disappearing, whether due to the decline in the populations that practice them or the systematic loss in the transmission of knowledge—a sign of the pressure to homogenize processes and ways of life, a characteristic of the globalized world.

The aim of this panel is to call for reflection on how state agencies, academia, and international bodies appear to impose the management of such knowledge and practices in the context of globalization.  

In light of these considerations, the following question was posed to guide the panel discussion: What role should architectural professionals in Latin America play with regard to the traditional knowledge, identities, and sociocultural practices of each region?