Dictatorship, transition, and the forging of political science in Uruguay.

The study examines the trajectory of Uruguayan Political Science (PS) from a critical theory perspective. Concretely, the article focuses on PS' institutional birth and early period (1980s and 1990s) and shows how broader political and ideological transformations had a significant impact on its discourse on Uruguayan democracy. Three components of such discourse are unpacked: The embrace of liberalism, the rejection of Marxism, and the uncritical engagement with the local political system, particularly the 'traditional parties.' The argument is supported by a systematic analysis of the 163 articles published by Revista Uruguaya de Ciencia Politica (RUCP) from 1987 to 2012 and 22 in-depth interviews with scholars from the Instituto de Ciencia Politica (ICP) at Universidad de la Republica (UdelaR).