Social movements and political left in Latin America

The text seeks to briefly make one kind of mapping on concerns about the theoretical and analytical study of social movements. In that sense, provides some guidelines for analysis and interpretation for a better understanding of the current collective phenomena. Moreover, the text is devoted to articulate the framework of analysis on social movements with political and social course lived by the political left in Uruguay, mainly from the political process re-democratization of the 80's. We discuss, finally, the cultural-political space that occupies today to be in the national government, suggested some views on its historical significance in our present.