Abstract

ESCOBAR CHACON, Juan David. Universalism, Identity, and Academic Discourse in the Context of Globalization. Lit. teor. hist. crit. [online]. 2018, vol.20, n.2, pp.155-184. ISSN 0123-5931.  https://doi.org/10.15446/lthc.v20n2.70881.

The article carries out a critique of the concept of "identity" and of the discourses based on difference, arguing that "identity" has been banalized to the point of transforming it into a moral argument that neutralizes ideological and political criticism in studies on culture. That argument is based on two theses: 1) by emphasizing only the recognition of individual rights, these discourses have lost sight of the idea of commonality in the political sphere; and 2) the instrumentalization of discourses on difference has contributed to weakening the critical potential of the humanities, which, in turn, is a sign of their complicity with the acritical consumption of culture and with the "capitalist" universalism that is being imposed worldwide. Finally, the paper offers some reflections on the importance of the critical position of literary studies when attempting to answer questions regarding the relations among aesthetics, ideology, and politics.

Keywords : identity; difference; universality; literary studies; cultural studies; aesthetics.

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