The term social exclusion stands out as much for its rapid proliferation as for its vagueness and imprecision, as well as for its lack of clear epistemological domicile. In Latin America, its overcrowding is particularly striking considering the rich conceptual tradition linked to terms such as marginality or new poverty, categories that have animated the debate about the social question for decades within the regional social sciences. This brief essay of a theoretical nature aims to analyze from a critical perspective the use of the concept of social exclusion within various spaces of political and technical power, which has permeated speeches of both social movements and non-governmental organizations, as well as governmental actions, independently of his ideological position. A nidel methodology, the essay is sustained in an analysis of the literature specializing in social exclusion, its origins and characteristics, as well as its process of installation and masficacion from Europe to Latin America. It is concluded that the concept of social exclusion would respond fundamentally to performative processes related to the trajectories and political typologies of each country, constituting a way to create an a-critical social reality. In this sense, indeterminate rhetoric has been functional to the consolidation of neoliberal orthodoxy, allowing to blur social criticism, and where - and this is the greatest danger - the social sciences have been guarantors through their intellectual and technical contribution.