O Fim do Império Cognitivo

In this book, Boaventura de Sousa Santos develops his concept of "epistemologies of the South", outlining a theoretical, methodological and pedagogical universe that challenges the dominance of Eurocentric thinking. Based on knowledge born out of social struggles, stemming from the experiences of marginalized peoples who actively resist capitalism, colonialism and patriarchy, epistemologies of the South represent forms of knowledge that are generally discredited, erased and ignored by the dominant cultures of the global North. Observing the declining effectiveness of established social and political solutions to combat inequality and discrimination, the author suggests that global justice can only exist through an epistemological shift that guarantees global cognitive justice. This shift creates alternative strategies for political mobilization and activism, providing oppressed social groups with the means to represent the world as their own, in their own terms, and to transform it with their aspirations.