Twenty-First Century Pragmatism and Social Justice: Problematic Situations and Occupational Reconstructions in Post-Civil War Guatemala

John Dewey’s perspective on the relationship between situations and occupations has immediate relevance to the way that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) work for human rights and social justice on the ground. In this chapter, I examine occupational reconstruction in Guatemalan civil society since the Peace Accords of 1996, focusing on the role of transnational NGOs. I present a brief description and analysis of three NGOs currently working in Guatemala. I discuss parallels with pragmatist reform approaches during the progressive era in the United States, circa 1890–1920, while contemporary features and innovations are also noted. From large to small, these NGOs and their projects—Common Hope, located just outside Antigua; Long Way Home, in San Juan Comalapa; and the KIDS Restaurant, in San Gaspar Vivar—use occupations as a model for social transformation. The NGOs are discussed and evaluated with regard to their occupational capacity. Concepts of point of entry, occupational capital, and occupational cascades are further proposed to expand upon Dewey’s vision for complex situations at the start of the twenty-first century.