Racism, obscurantism and colonialism: the naturalization of the colonialism in contemporary historical perspectives

Abstract

This paper presents a discussion about the remaining of the dogmatic thought, in the current Latin American historical discourse. The necessity of a theoretical production towards the cultural critics, in the historical discourse, is a point of departure of this discussion, against the resurgence of the nationalist and xenophobic projects in the American continent as well as the continuities of the colonial, racist and patriarchal models in the contemporary historical though. First, the discussion around the theoretical production in the historical field of knowledge is reassumed as well as how this discussion aproach the problem about the des-naturalization of the present and the sense of the past as a representation culturally constructed. Second, the relations between historical representation, mythology and intra-cultural common sense are argued. Third, the methodological limitations derived from the lack of cultural criticism in the historical knowledge are discussed. Fourth, the discussion around the relations between History and colonialism are approached. Fifth, the discussion around the problems and risks of critics against universalism is opened. Finally, this paper concludes that, in the face of the new ways of nationalism and xenophobia characteristic of the contemporary world, it is an urgency to retake the discussions around the relations between theoretical production, cultural criticism and historical knowledge.