Coloniality and asymmetry in the Portuguese-speaking south American contexts

Abstract

This paper aims to prompt a reflection on preliminary conditions of analysis of some specificities in the development of Portuguese colonial policies, present in the oldest experience undertaken in Brazil and, more recently, in the last quarter of the twentieth century, in African countries. Numerous modern and contemporary works of fiction have focused, directly or indirectly, on the drift of a colonial mentality within the former Portuguese colonies. The memory of this experience, which implies tense regimes of epistemic cohabitation, has been identified by critics as one of the structuring traits of contemporary times. This article intends to identify the answers that the literary field has tried to offer to the legacy and heritage resulting from this experience, based on theoretical and methodological premises available in the post and de-colonial fields of study.