Search

The purpose of this article is to reflect upon the phenomenon of foreignism as a Brazilian cultural trait. This characteristic is believed to have an important influence on the way that individuals born in Brazil tend to treat foreigners from other Latin-American states, which not only makes relations between the two fragile but, in a sense, also violates the dignity of the latter. It is relatively plausible that the existence of a possible "Latin American foreignism" may become a complicating factor in the construction of intercultural social relations within this socio-geographic- cultural spectrum. Such a point of view arises from the observation of the historical construction of submission emanating from the influence exerted by the countries of the most dynamic global centres. This is what we call "The North of the Global North." This can impose great challenges upon the construction of fraternal relations in a South-South horizon, even within South America. In fact, the process of colonization is known to have left profound marks on the subjectivity of colonized peoples. Along this line of reasoning, it is possible that the local-born reproduce what they have learned historically in relation to the colonizer: that is, they try to "recognize their own knowledge" when they do not recognize the knowledge of others, in this case, other Latin Americans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]