Prospects of Research in South America: The Case of Colombia

Abstract

South America is a mine of opportunities for research in different fields. Its social, political, educational and economic situation and constant transformation offer a privileged stage for reflection and for the development of proposals to understand the complexity of phenomena that are transforming this part of the world. This calls for permanent contributions from all disciplines, psychology included, to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities. In this context, the efforts of some governments and academic communities to strengthen funding for research, training researchers and increasing international networks have advanced research considerably. There are countless studies that have been conducted by researchers in South America. In mentioning only a few below I am taking the risk of not including them all, so my focus will be primarily on the area of humanities and social sciences in Brazil, Chile, Argentina and, of course, Colombia, mainly in relation to socio-cultural and developmental research.