Abstract
A comparison of Jürgen Habermas’ and Boaventura de Sousa Santos’ approach to colonialism and their relevance for framing a pathway towards sustainability. Through a longitudinal study of reactions to modernization and epistemicide it is concluded that whereas Habermas’ theory of colonization is limited by a Eurocentric methodological and ontological framework, Santos does not fully follow the potential of his own framework for understanding how hierarchies of knowledge and power are core elements in ongoing processes of colonization. By comparing and applying respectively a Habermasian and Santos framework to situations of colonization, it is concluded that Habermas’ theory of colonization is relevant for understanding the institutional mechanisms at play, whereas Santos’ framework is aimed at identifying ways of breaking free from Eurocentric modernity.
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Notes
- 1.
Translation: “The rivers, these beings that have always inhabitated the worlds in different forms, are the ones who suggest to me that if there is a future to be considered, that future is ancestral, because it was already here.(.). But we are in Pacha Mama, which has no borders, so it doesn’t matter if we are above or below rio Grande, we are everywhere, for in everything are our ancestors, the river-mountains, and I share with you the unrestrained richness that is to live these gifts.”
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Hulgård, L. (2023). The Radio and the Plant. In: Krøjer, J., Langergaard, L.L. (eds) Social Sustainability in Unsustainable Society. Ethical Economy, vol 67. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51366-4_6
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