Racialization, Ethnicization, Whiteness: Horizons of Historicity and Localization of Difference/Inequality

Abstract

This article begins by examines, firstly, in the power of what can be considered the racial enchantment and the discomfort generated by the concept of race. The idea that some colleagues believe the word race should be replaced with terms that do not support racism, such as ethnic group or culture, reflects theoretical and political sensitivities that need to be addressed. This is not merely a matter of ideological blindness,; as there are other colleagues who argue for the importance of retaining the term race in analysis. Racialization, ethnicization, and whiteness are addressed in their specificities are addressed, requiring a theoretical effort to disrupt many commonplaces. Understanding their distinctions and particular connections is the aim of the second part of this article. Not every difference, such as hierarchy, implies racialized markings or racism, just as the appeal to cultural difference does not guarantee the avoidance of the pitfalls of racial categories.

Finally, this article explores the idea of horizons of historicity to complement the concept of national formations of alterity, providing a historical perspective that includes the antecedents of the nation. This approach allows for an understanding of the articulations between nation building processes and their historical antecedents, enabling a broader genealogical examination of how these have influenced the ways we have come to naturalize certain differences/inequalities today.