(Papeles de trabajo - Centro de Estudios Interdisciplinarios en Etnolingüística y Antropología Socio-Cultural, 2010-06-01) Quintero, Pablo
The theory of the coloniality of power by Anibal Quijano, was originally formulated in the 90s, and subsequently extended by the Latin American network of intellectuals-activists linked to has been called "Project Modernity / Coloniality / Decoloniality", is a of the proposals epistemic most debated in the contemporary intellectual scene in Latin America. Especially in the Andean region, this proposal has been central in the process of emergence of new critical perspectives and radical ideas, not only in the academic field, but mainly along the epistemic and political actions of different social movements. This paper is a review of the fundamental core of this theory, focusing on the working of Anibal Quijano. Here are introduced the main conceptual components of the coloniality of power, and its potential explanatory of these theoretical elements in understanding the structure of societies and nation states in Latin America.