Ignacio Martin-Baró, epistemic violence, processes of subjectivation and decoloniality at school

Abstract

The text discusses epistemic violence from the perspective of fatalism, examining how processes of subjectivation are shaped by colonialities. It argues that fatalism reflects this violence, especially when analysed through intersectionality and the psychosocial processes that structure identities. Based on a narrative review, it problematises how the (re)cognition of colonialities influences subjective experiences in contexts marked by silencing and neoliberal logic. Social changes require critical reflection on discourses that affirm identities but also restrict autonomy. Thus, the text proposes the construction of new narratives and everyday meanings that confront the tensions of neoliberalism and promote freedom, autonomy, and epistemic justice. It highlights the importance of spaces that enable action and expression, especially schools, as settings for practices that break with epistemic violence and expand possibilities for existence.