CIESAL researcher publishes winning book in the UV Law School’s publishing competition
29/05/2026
Félix Aguirre, a lecturer at the Universidad de Valparaíso’s School of Sociology and holder of a PhD in Political Science from the Complutense University of Madrid, presented an interesting book on one of the most unique social movements of the late 19th century in England under the auspices of the UV Law School’s Edeval Press.
“Reformists Before Socialists: Political Culture and the Origins of Sociological Discourse in the Intellectual Formation of Fabian Socialism (1884–1889)” is the title of Aguirre’s work, in which, following extensive research, he delves into the history and influence of what is known as Fabian socialism in England, whose early exponents included figures of the stature of George Bernard Shaw and Charlotte Wilson, who founded the Fabian Society, inspired by intellectuals such as John S. Mill, David Ricardo and Robert Owen. This organisation, as the author notes in the introduction, “advocated an evolutionary, legalistic and gradualist socialism, inspired by a combination of scientific thought, ethical commitment and political pedagogy”.
Speaking before an audience of students, lecturers and academic authorities from the UV, Alfredo Joignant, the well-known political analyst and professor at the School of Political Science at Diego Portales University and one of the presenters of the publication, maintained that Aguirre’s work represents a significant contribution to the social sciences and contemporary political thought. This is because it reconstructs the emergence of Fabianism with historical rigour and raises new questions about the meaning of reformist ideas, the construction of political projects and the intellectual foundations of the modern left.
Contributing to critical reflection in times of polarisation
For his part, academic Félix Aguirre highlighted the opportunity provided by the Edeval Press to disseminate academic research that broadens public debate, strengthens critical thinking, and enables us to learn from past events. This is particularly important “in the face of the growing polarisation of political discourse in today’s democracies, where public opinion — especially that expressed through social media — seems increasingly inclined to politicise and thus call into question the rights that had previously been protected for various groups of people, regardless of their political, social, religious, ethnic, and generational views”. This confrontation calls into question the political rationality and institutional balances that form part of the foundations of the Fabian movement, and, as Félix Aguirre warns, “is eroding confidence in democracy”.
The book on the Fabian movement was one of the winning entries in the First Academic Publications Competition organised by the Edeval Press in 2025. The competition aimed to promote the publication and circulation of high-quality academic research. The book was presented as part of the project ‘Contributing to the cultural heritage and knowledge transfer of the Valparaíso region and the country’, which was awarded to the Faculty of Law at the Universidad de Valparaíso through the Fund for the Development of Activities of National Interest (ADAIN) under the Undersecretariat of Education. The project was supported by the UV’s Vice-Rectorate for Community Engagement.
In addition to being a senior lecturer at the Universidad de Valparaíso’s School of Sociology, Félix Aguirre was previously a member of the Institutional Committee for Scientific Research Ethics. He is currently a principal researcher at CIESAL, drawing on his expertise to enrich the Centre’s interdisciplinary work and foster a greater understanding of social phenomena within Chile and the Valparaíso region. Between 2020 and 2021, he participated in an ANID project addressing the “experiences, challenges and responses of families in contexts of social inequality” during the Covid-19 pandemic.