| Through an analysis of the political public sphere among students at San Marcos University (UNMSM) in Lima, Peru, I identify three contributing factors that have shaped student engagement with politics at San Marcos: legacies of civil violence, rigid implementation of neoliberalism and shallow formal democracy in Peru. By examining and discussing how these factors have contributed to a weakened public sphere at San Marcos and undermined students' political and critical capacities, my thesis concludes that students are facing a duo phenomenon of a demobilized public sphere and widespread disenchantment with democracy as a political model and ideal. My thesis speaks to need and value for creating and defending societal spaces, such as the university, for political participation and the development of critical capacities, as well as the fragility of democracy in situations where insufficient attention is granted to cultivating popular commitments to democracy. |
