PRESENTATION

The dossier of issue 82 of the Universitas Humanística journal aimed to gather theoretical and critical reflections, as well as case studies investigating the social construction processes of the State. Traditionally, these reflections are typical in the field of disciplines such as sociology and law. More recently, anthropology, political science, public management, and some critical approaches from economy and human geography have raised questions regarding how the interaction processes between citizens and public institutions - as well as public policies and their implementation -are interlinked and defined by aspects such as sector-wide interests, social perception of the population, or the social construction surrounding what is defined to belong to the Estate and the Government. These interactions are evidenced in complex social processes on different scales, conditions, or in the framework of specific problems.

Our aim for this issue, with Paola García Reyes and Pablo Sanabria Pulido as guest editors, is to promote reflection on the Estate as a social construction, while also giving visibility to studies from interdisciplinary perspectives and critical standpoints on the traditional disciplines concerned on delving into this type of questions. Thus, some of the central concepts for discussion proposed for this dossier were: capacity; bureaucracy and professional communities; public policies; interaction citizens-Estate and social construction processes; and a wider perspective on the Estate-society relationships. This special issue begins with an article from our guest editors, who delve into the articles from our sections Controversy, Horizons, and Young Research.

In addition to the monographic space Critical studies on the State, issue 82 includes two articles in its Open Space which continue the reflections proposed on issues 78 and 79 on dissident feminisms. First of all, the work of Ana Inés Mallimaci proposes a reflection on the work of immigrant women in Buenos Aires linking two main activities: domestic work and nursing in a globalization context. Also, framed in the category of care, but from a question on the production of knowledge, we feature the article "Embodying a caring science: An ethnographic analysis of the communicative practices of a Colombian trans-woman scientist in the media". The signer of this introduction is the author of the aforementioned article, which is why its evaluation process was assumed autonomously, although following the criteria of our publication, by professor Maria Fernanda Olarte Sierra. This ad hoc editor made sure that the article was assessed in a blind and rigorous way, so the author could not influence the process.

As usual, this editorial effort is now in your hands. We hope you enjoy, discuss, share and make the most of it.

Tania Perez-Bustos
Editor