Rafael Menjívar Larín
Encyclopedia
Rafael Menjívar Larín (January 3, 1935 - August 7, 2000) was a Salvadoran
economist
and politician
. An outspoken eft-wing critical of the Samoza dictatorship, he was director of the University of El Salvador
before being thrown into jail and forced abroad into exile.
, Larín was the son of a chauffeur
and a housewife, and studied economic sciences in the University of El Salvador
between 1956 and 1962. In 1963, at 28 years of age, he graduated as a doctor specialising in the agricultural economy, and almost immediately he was elected dean of the Faculty of Economy. Between 1967 and 1969 he was general manager of the University. In 1969 he published the book, 'Reforma agraria en Guatemala
, Bolivia
y Cuba
(The Agrarian Reformation in Guatemala, Bolivia and Cuba). During this time he travelled to Chile
, where during his nine month stay he undertook academic investigation into Chilean agriculture and produced Reforma agraria chilena (UES, San Salvador, 1970).
By the end of the 1970s he was elected the director of the University of El Salvador, but on July 19, 1972, the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly deprived the university of its autonomy and it fell under National Army and Police and authority control, a highly controversial move which led to Menjívar Larín and several other high civil servants being imprisoned in their protest. Menjívar Larín was missing during three days in a clandestine cell of the National Police. He was later exiled to Nicaragua
, but he was placed under arrest by the orders of dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle
. In October 1972 he was released and subsequently was sent to Costa Rica
.
There in Costa Rica he founded the Central American School of Sociology in 1974, in company of other intellectuals of the region. He was also Secretary General of the Consejo Superior Universitario Centroamericano (CSUCA).
That same year he joined the Fuerzas Populares de Liberación "Farabundo Martí", a left wing party in El Salvador
and became acquainted with its leader Salvador Cayetano Carpio.
In January of 1976 he travelled with his family to Mexico
, where he was granted a scholarship by the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) to obtain a doctorate in political sciences, which he completed in 1979. During this period he wrote numerous books and papers including Acumulación originaria y desarrollo del capitalismo en El Salvador and Formación y lucha del proletariado industrial salvadoreño. At the beginning of 1978 he was named vice president of Latin American Studies in the Political Sciences faculty at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Along with the Salvadoran intellectuals, Rafael Guidos Béjar and Ernesto Richter he contributed to a more specific Central American field of study and chaired debates on agrarian sociology and theory of the state.
In 1980 he worked as a university professor at the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO). However, in 1980 El Salvador went into political turmoil, and Menjívar Larín became increasingly involved in politics. He was appointed president of the External Commission of the Frente Democrático Revolucionario
and was involved in important diplomatic work in favor of the Salvadoran insurgency in Mexico
and the rest of Latin America
and Europe
. In 1981 the FDR moved to France, where diplomacy between the French and the Mexicans and the FMLN began. At the same time, he acted as political adviser to the leader of the FMLN, Salvador Cayetano Carpio, whilst in his spare time was active in the university at Sorbonne
.
After the suicide of Carpio on April 12 1983, which shook the FMLN party and Menjívar Larín, he retired from politics and rededicated himself to academic work. In May 1983 he was appointed Academic Director of director academic of Latin American FLACSO, a position he occupied until 1989. He then became a director in Costa Rica
, and during his administration he worked extensively with many noted Central American intellectuals, and was active all over El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras
, the Dominican Republic
and Cuba
. He published over ten books on economics and sociology, and directed investigations into the Costa Rican economy
and supported Costa Rican programs of micro-development and the increasing operation of smaller companies.
In 1998 he retired from FLACSO to dedicate himself to his writing. In 1999, nevertheless, he was appotined director of a program of micro-enterprises of the International Labour Convention, but this too was to be short-lived, after being diagnosed with cancer
several months later in August of that year. He would almost exactly a year after being diagnosed, succumbing to the disease on August 7, 2000. He was buried in the Montesacro cemetery, of San Jose, Costa Rica
. He was survived by his sons who have become noted academics in their own right including the writer and journalist Rafael Menjívar Ochoa
and the sociologist and historian Mauritius Menjívar Ochoa.
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. An outspoken eft-wing critical of the Samoza dictatorship, he was director of the University of El Salvador
University of El Salvador
The University of El Salvador or Universidad de El Salvador is the oldest and one of the most prominent university institutions in El Salvador. It serves as the national university of the country...
before being thrown into jail and forced abroad into exile.
Biography
Born in Santa Ana, El SalvadorSanta Ana, El Salvador
Santa Ana is the second largest city in El Salvador, located 64 kilometers west of San Salvador, the capital city. Santa Ana has approximately 274,830 inhabitants and serves both as the capital of the department of Santa Ana and...
, Larín was the son of a chauffeur
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
and a housewife, and studied economic sciences in the University of El Salvador
University of El Salvador
The University of El Salvador or Universidad de El Salvador is the oldest and one of the most prominent university institutions in El Salvador. It serves as the national university of the country...
between 1956 and 1962. In 1963, at 28 years of age, he graduated as a doctor specialising in the agricultural economy, and almost immediately he was elected dean of the Faculty of Economy. Between 1967 and 1969 he was general manager of the University. In 1969 he published the book, 'Reforma agraria en Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
y Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
(The Agrarian Reformation in Guatemala, Bolivia and Cuba). During this time he travelled to Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, where during his nine month stay he undertook academic investigation into Chilean agriculture and produced Reforma agraria chilena (UES, San Salvador, 1970).
By the end of the 1970s he was elected the director of the University of El Salvador, but on July 19, 1972, the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly deprived the university of its autonomy and it fell under National Army and Police and authority control, a highly controversial move which led to Menjívar Larín and several other high civil servants being imprisoned in their protest. Menjívar Larín was missing during three days in a clandestine cell of the National Police. He was later exiled to Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, but he was placed under arrest by the orders of dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Anastasio Somoza Debayle was a Nicaraguan leader and officially the 73rd and 76th President of Nicaragua from 1 May 1967 to 1 May 1972 and from 1 December 1974 to 17 July 1979. As head of the National Guard, he was de facto ruler of the country from 1967 to 1979...
. In October 1972 he was released and subsequently was sent to Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
.
There in Costa Rica he founded the Central American School of Sociology in 1974, in company of other intellectuals of the region. He was also Secretary General of the Consejo Superior Universitario Centroamericano (CSUCA).
That same year he joined the Fuerzas Populares de Liberación "Farabundo Martí", a left wing party in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
and became acquainted with its leader Salvador Cayetano Carpio.
In January of 1976 he travelled with his family to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, where he was granted a scholarship by the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) to obtain a doctorate in political sciences, which he completed in 1979. During this period he wrote numerous books and papers including Acumulación originaria y desarrollo del capitalismo en El Salvador and Formación y lucha del proletariado industrial salvadoreño. At the beginning of 1978 he was named vice president of Latin American Studies in the Political Sciences faculty at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Along with the Salvadoran intellectuals, Rafael Guidos Béjar and Ernesto Richter he contributed to a more specific Central American field of study and chaired debates on agrarian sociology and theory of the state.
In 1980 he worked as a university professor at the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO). However, in 1980 El Salvador went into political turmoil, and Menjívar Larín became increasingly involved in politics. He was appointed president of the External Commission of the Frente Democrático Revolucionario
and was involved in important diplomatic work in favor of the Salvadoran insurgency in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and the rest of Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In 1981 the FDR moved to France, where diplomacy between the French and the Mexicans and the FMLN began. At the same time, he acted as political adviser to the leader of the FMLN, Salvador Cayetano Carpio, whilst in his spare time was active in the university at Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
.
After the suicide of Carpio on April 12 1983, which shook the FMLN party and Menjívar Larín, he retired from politics and rededicated himself to academic work. In May 1983 he was appointed Academic Director of director academic of Latin American FLACSO, a position he occupied until 1989. He then became a director in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, and during his administration he worked extensively with many noted Central American intellectuals, and was active all over El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. He published over ten books on economics and sociology, and directed investigations into the Costa Rican economy
Economy of Costa Rica
The economy of Costa Rica heavily depends on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has been reduced over the past 15 years, and a social safety net put into place....
and supported Costa Rican programs of micro-development and the increasing operation of smaller companies.
In 1998 he retired from FLACSO to dedicate himself to his writing. In 1999, nevertheless, he was appotined director of a program of micro-enterprises of the International Labour Convention, but this too was to be short-lived, after being diagnosed with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
several months later in August of that year. He would almost exactly a year after being diagnosed, succumbing to the disease on August 7, 2000. He was buried in the Montesacro cemetery, of San Jose, Costa Rica
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
. He was survived by his sons who have become noted academics in their own right including the writer and journalist Rafael Menjívar Ochoa
Rafael Menjívar Ochoa
Rafael Menjívar Ochoa was a Salvadoran writer, novelist, journalist and translator.His father, the economist Rafael Menjívar Larín, was director of the University of El Salvador...
and the sociologist and historian Mauritius Menjívar Ochoa.