XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 15-21, 2018)

639

Postcolonial Theory, Internal Colonialism and the Markers of the Historical Subject

RC35 Conceptual and Terminological Analysis (host committee)

Language: English

The purpose of this session is to deepen the postcolonial debate from the theoretical perspectives suggested by the theory of internal colonialism. Traditionally, this theory focuses on ethnic and class conflicts present in national systems of domination in connection with transnational power structures. The moment demands revising the limits of this theory in order to deepen the debate on the forms of manifestation of the human subject. In this sense, it is important to consider the processes of construction and displacement of the subject's identity. The latter cannot be limited to narratives about memories and traditions or those related to conflicts between ethnicities and social classes. The theory of internal colonialism can offer new perspectives to explain the mechanisms of recoloniality as well as anti-colonial reactions in contemporary times provided that it incorporates a broader understanding of the idea of intergroup conflict, which implies valuing not only the political but also the cultural, psychological and emotional dimensions that constitute the human being. In order to do so, the theory of internal colonialism needs to integrate into the explanation of conflicts, alongside ethnic and class markers, others such as gender, religion, nationality, and nature. The new devices of recoloniality of contemporary life require theoretical reflections focusing more directly on both alienation and liberation. The widening of the understanding of the subject within postcolonial contexts on the basis of a plurality of markers is decisive for illuminating the devices of subjective liberation.