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

Abstract :

This article discusses the epistemic implications of the de-colonial turn of the decolonization of the “global capitalism” concept, as it has been used in the paradigms of political economy and cultural studies. Other terms that are discussed include “colonization of power”, “border epistemologies” and “transmodernity” to start thinking not in “new utopias”,but rather in “other utopias” based on a different cartography of global power relationships of the “worldsystem Europe/Euro-Northamerican modern/colonial capitalist/patriarchical”. The article argues that there is a necessity to use the aforementioned concept (even though it is more extensive) and to abandon the category of “capitalist world-system” or “global capitalism”.

Keywords: Subordinate studies, epistemology, postcolonialism, critical thinking.