Epistemic Racism/Sexism, Westernized Universities and the Four Genocides/Epistemicides of the Long 16th Century

https://doi.org/10.25058/20112742.153

Ramón Grosfoguel
grosfogu@berkeley.edu
University of California, Berkeley, USA

Abstract:

This article discusses the epistemic racism/sexism that is foundational to the knowledge structures of the Westernized University. The article proposes that the epistemic priviledge of Western Man in Westenized Universities’ structures of knowledge, is the result of four genocides/epistemicides in the long 16th century (against Jewish and Muslim origin population in the conquest of Al-Andalus, against indigenous people in the conquest of the Americas, against Africans kidnapped and enslaved in the Americas and against women burned alive accused of being witches in Europe). The article proposes that Dussel´s argument in the sense that the condition of possibility for the mid-17th century Cartesian “I think, therefore I am” (ego cogito) is the 150 years of “I conquer, therefor I am” (ego conquiro) is historically mediated by the genocide/epistemicide of the “I exterminate, therefore I am” (ego extermino). The “I exterminate” as the socio-historical structural mediation between the “I think” and the “I conquer”.

Keywords: Epistemic racism/sexism, genocide/epistemicide,Westernized university.