A comparative and epistemic approach to Anglophone and Latin American postcolonial theory and criticism

Abstract

Postcolonial criticism is one of the critical derivations of recent times. Nevertheless, not many works have undertaken studies based upon comparative analyses grounded on its episteme(s). The present study demonstrates that there is more than one episteme in postcolonial criticism. To prove it, the analysis considers key points in the evolution of the ideology and criticism of Anglophone and Latin American postcolonial realms. It first covers the evolution of the Anglophone postcolonial ideology and criticism. After that, it deals with Latin American postcolonial criticism. It concludes by establishing a comparison between both. It leads us to see that the postcolonial Anglophone and Latin American epistemes are asymmetric phenomena that share common features and mutual benefits. Additionally and on equal terms, the present study shows that the post- and de- prefixes linked to the “colonial” term and applied to the Anglophone and Latin American realms, respectively, are indicators that mark an ideological turn in the conception of both terms. Despite the shared plurality and multiplicity of the postcolonial world, the apparent wish for the release and unleashing from the matrix of power, and the paradoxical “sameness convergence” into globalization, these indicators are different, as in fact they show different degrees of epistemic disobedience and social dissidence.