Martín-Baró, Ignacio

To many, Ignacio Martín-Baró was a personal friend, a colleague, a mentor, a peer and lots of fun. Perhaps, in large part, because he was a Jesuit priest as well as a social psychologist at the time of his murder, he has been described by many as a martyr. He has also been acknowledged by the psychological establishment—some of whom shunned him and his work when he was alive—as the ‘father’ or ‘founder’ of liberation psychology. Yet the danger of putting someone on a pedestal, honouring him for his life and work, is that one loses sight of the ‘human side’—and, even more important, of the challenges his life and how he was killed—present to those who survive him. This biographical sketch seeks to reflect on his legacy for the critical praxis of psychology and action research today.

Ignacio—or Nacho to many of his friends and colleagues—the fourth of six children born to Francisco J. Martín Abril and Alicia Baró, was born on 7 November 1942, in Valladolid in northwestern Spain. He entered the religious order of the Society of Jesus on 28 September 1959, having completed his high school education at the Colegió San Jose in Valladolid. In addition to excelling at his studies, his talents as a magician were often sought to entertain local children. His ‘lighter side’ would be noted by Salvadoran peasants and psychologists alike who recognized and celebrated his humour, his guitar and his voice; he was the life of many late-night and weekend gatherings in El Salvador and beyond.

Martín-Baró completed his early training as a member of the Society of Jesus in El Salvador and then studied philosophy in Bogota, Colombia, and theology in Belgium before completing a psychology degree at the University of Central America, José Simeón Cañas in San Salvador in 1975 followed by a master's and doctorate in social and organizational psychology in 1979 at the University of Chicago.

He then returned to the University of Central America in San Salvador, where he taught and did research while also holding various administrative posts, including Dean of Students, chair of the Psychology Department and Vice Rector for Academic Affairs. He also served on a variety of administrative committees and boards within the university, was the founder and director of the University Institute of Public Opinion (known by its Spanish acronym, IUDOP) and was an editor of the university's publishing press. Beyond El Salvador, he served on the editorial board of a number of professional journals and was a member of the American Psychological Association and the Interamerican Society of Psychology, where he served a term as vice president for Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. In addition to his academic work, Martín-Baró served as a weekend pastor to several small villages, including that of Jayaque.

Martín-Baró adopted Salvadoran citizenship and lived and worked among the Salvadoran people from 1966 until his death, accompanying them in their [Page 524]struggle for self-determination. In addition to his critical analyses of Euro-American psychology, he passionately challenged US psychologists to analyze their government's role in El Salvador, writing and speaking about US economic and military aid to the Salvadoran government's war against its own people and emphasizing the importance of dialogue between the government and the guerrillas towards a negotiated settlement to this ongoing armed conflict. He spoke within and beyond El Salvador of the importance of economic justice and of the need for structural changes within his adopted country.

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