THE ONTOLOGICAL BORDERS OF COLONIALITY-MODERNITY: A DIALOGUE BETWEEN QUIJANO, SEGATO, GONZALEZ AND CUSICANQUI

Abstract

This study aims to present a theoretical debate about the (re)production of ontological boundaries through a dialogue between the ideas of Aníbal Quijano, Rita Segato, Lélia Gonzalez, and Silvia Cusicanqui. We conducted a literature review on the work of these sociologists to elucidate the concept of ontological boundaries, by weaving together the connections, intersections, and complementary contributions of these four lines of social thought. Simultaneously, we engaged with the readings of their commentators and works that go beyond the scope of this research, using repositories that aggregate articles from different scientific journals, such as Scielo, Scholar Google, and Sage Journals. We argue the following: colonial-modernity is responsible for the consolidation of ontological boundaries that serve as pillars for the structure and sedimentation of this global pattern, which are central to the formation and persistence of the coloniality of power. In this sense, these boundaries come to be understood as a sociological lens that suggests an onto-hermeneutic approach to think and analyze, from a geo-politics of knowledge or political economy perspective, the social world and decolonial thought itself.