About indigenism and indigenous authorship in Brazil: New epistemologies in contemporaneity

Abstract

Indigenism is an intellectual discourse, popular imaginary and indigenism practice in different American countries. Attentive to the understanding of the symbolic elements that make up this field, we propose an analysis of indigenism on the basis of indigenous authorship narratives that in our view mark new epistemologies. For this, we analyze works produced as a result of the integration of these collective subjects in universities. The article was produced through a dialogue between a historian and an anthropologist, recalling the experience shared by the authors as advisers of works produced by indigenous students in a master’s course offered to indigenous people at the University of Brasilia. Thus, we reflect on the possibilities of understanding the indigenous movement based on a notion of indigenous authorship that points to new epistemologies in contemporary times. We believe that the academic production of indigenous researchers has not yet been properly analyzed or visualized in its particularities, so we try to explore aspects that underline the relevance of recognizing indigenous authorship as part of the political action of these individuals in the field of indigenism.

Keywords: indigenism, indigenous authorship, new epistemologies.