{"id":3580,"date":"2021-11-09T14:06:07","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T17:06:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redecomua.org.br\/?p=3580"},"modified":"2023-09-15T01:19:11","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T04:19:11","slug":"giro-decolonial-na-filantropia-entre-o-paradoxo-e-a-urgencia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-wyy8bhlsif5v8gukfr0yhxue.studio.tikovolpe.com.br\/en\/giro-decolonial-na-filantropia-entre-o-paradoxo-e-a-urgencia\/","title":{"rendered":"Decolonial turn in philanthropy: between paradox and urgency"},"content":{"rendered":"

By C\u00e1ssio Aoqui, J\u00e9ssica Gon\u00e7alves & Let\u00edcia Cardoso<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cUntil the lions have their own historians, <\/em><\/span>hunting stories will continue to glorify the hunter.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This African proverb, already cited by intellectuals such as Emir Sader and Eduardo Galeano, expresses well the core of why it is important for us to reflect \u2013 and act \u2013 in order to promote a decolonial turn in philanthropy.<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, talking about post-colonial or decolonial philanthropy [1]<\/a> In Brazilian reality, it is nonsense in itself. This is because philanthropy was born here as the result of a colonial project, that is, it arises from the perspective of the colonizer and religious missions dedicated to charity and linked to Christian values of mercy, compassion and love for others. [2]<\/a>. Not surprisingly, the term philanthropy itself comes from the Greek \u201clove of humanity\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Between the lines of these colonial origins, the premise of moral superiority based on religiosity emerges, with, on the one hand, the dominant class as a civil power and, on the other, the beneficiary or beggar, belonging to the subordinate classes. [3]<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, from a more systemic view, the very definition of \u201chumanity\u201d presents an intrinsically colonial place. As Ailton Krenak states, the efforts undertaken to protect humanity were a linear exercise on the diversity of existing people, languages and cultures, grouping them in a superior and separate place from nature, to overlap in relation to this entire plurality of existence, \u201csame model and progress that we are encouraged to understand as well-being\u201d [4]<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the notion of philanthropy migrated from a religious to a secular perspective throughout the 19th and especially 20th centuries, it cannot be said that the colonizer\/colonized dichotomy was overcome in such a process. The so-called \u201cprofessionalization\u201d of philanthropy, especially since the 1990s, and the adoption of concepts and models such as \u201cprivate social investment\u201d and \u201cventure philanthropy\u201d<\/em> (risk philanthropy) are evidence of what many philanthropists come to see as \u201cevolution\u201d and which, in our view, mirror the spirit of the times in this 21st century in terms of discourses and narratives \u2013 not without inconsistencies and internal disputes between the most diverse civil society agents [5]<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless of the premises and paradigms that underpin the different currents of philanthropy, one cannot deny its relevance \u2013 and that of all its actors \u2013, even more so in the current political-economic and health context. [6]<\/a>. And it is in this sense that we defend the urgency of promoting a decolonial turn in the way we practice philanthropy, which brings within its practices, logics and ways of thinking remnants of its colonial genesis, including the legacy of slavery and profound inequalities that have increasingly confronted us since then.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is worth remembering that notions of post-colonialism are nothing new. Conceptually, the postcolonial argument has its first elaborations in the 19th century in Latin America; it is later inspired by the productions and resistance actions of the Martinicans Franz Fanon and Aim\u00e9 C\u00e9saire and the Tunisian Albert Memmi at the beginning of the 20th century; and gained strength from the 1970s and 80s, with the Subaltern Studies Group \u2013 with thinkers such as Indians Ranajit Guha and Gayatri Spivak. <\/span><\/p>\n

Post-colonialism thus arises from the identification of an antagonistic relationship par excellence, that is, that of the colonized and the colonizer, with the term \u201ccolonial\u201d alluding to different situations of oppression, defined based on gender boundaries, ethnic or racial \u2013 and, in our view, territorial. The concept shares, amidst its different perspectives, the decentering of narratives and contemporary subjects [7]<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The notion of decolonial turn emerged more recently, in 2005, coined by Puerto Rican Nelson Maldonado-Torres. It basically means the movement of theoretical and practical, political and epistemological\/knowledge resistance to the logic of coloniality. At this point, it is essential to highlight the concept of coloniality of power, published by the Peruvian An\u00edbal Quijano in 1989, based on the observation that colonial relations in the economic and political spheres did not end with the end of colonialism. Coloniality reproduces itself in a triple dimension: that of knowledge, that of being and that of power, the latter represented by the control of the economy, authority, nature and natural resources, gender and sexuality and subjectivity and knowledge .<\/span><\/p>\n

Thus, when we transpose such concepts advocating for a decolonial turn in philanthropy, however paradoxical it may be, we are talking about (starting to) essentially and actively promote an anti-racist, feminist, anti-patriarchal, non-heteronormative and truly inclusive philanthropy on the part of all involved. Furthermore, a philanthropy that combats epistemic racism [8]<\/a> and value the knowledge and knowledge of the Global South. Also a philanthropy of border thinking, in the sense of affirming the space from which thought was denied by colonial modernity, left or right. In other words, looking with new lenses and approaches to old Latin American and, above all, Brazilian problems, however provocative and uncomfortable this process may seem and be.<\/span><\/p>\n

In practice, it is necessary to problematize and focus on structural questions such as \u201cwhere do philanthropic actions come from?\u201d, \u201chow is it governed?\u201d, \u201cwho has the decision-making power?\u201d, \u201chow and on what basis is knowledge (re)created and shared?\u201d, \u201cAre we really moving towards the decolonization of power, knowledge and being, in a more systemic vision of philanthropic initiatives? [9]<\/a>“. <\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, considering Latin America as the founding continent of colonialism and the first testing laboratory for racism in its service, we have the unique opportunity to develop an essentially Latin American \u2013 and Brazilian \u2013 philanthropy that counterpoints this history. After more than 500 years of typically colonial philanthropy, it is high time to take another look at structures without fear of radically transforming them, seeking new possibilities (which are already emerging in every corner of this country). [10]<\/a>), even if starting from new utopian horizons. It's time to co-create \u201cnew\u201d stories, to enlighten \u201cnew\u201d historians and to build new narratives in a world that still glorifies its lion hunters.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Grades: <\/strong> [1]<\/a> There may be conceptual differences between postcolonial, decolonial and decolonial depending on the authors and intellectuals involved; however, for the sake of simplicity, we will not go into theoretical details in this post. For more in-depth information, we strongly recommend reading one of the base texts used here: Ballestrin, Luciana. Latin America and the decolonial turn. Brazilian Journal of Political Science, n\u00ba 11, pp. 89-117. Bras\u00edlia: May-August 2013. The authors of this post are conducting a more in-depth essay on the same topic, which will be widely shared as soon as it is published. [2]<\/a> We say, for example, that the first welfare institution in our post-colonization history was the Santa Casa de Miseric\u00f3rdia de Santos, inaugurated in 1543, and maintained over the centuries with donations from wealthy land-owning families. [3]<\/a> Mendon\u00e7a, Patr\u00edcia; Aoqui, Cassio; Cardoso, Leticia. Philanthropy and Covid-19 in urban peripheries. EADI ISS Conference. The Hague: 2021. [in press] [4]<\/a> Krenak, Ailton. Ideas to postpone the end of the world. 2nd ed. S\u00e3o Paulo. Companhia das Letras, 2020. [5]<\/a> From these relationships and disputes, other paradigms in philanthropy emerge, such as community and social justice, so well founded in Brazil by this Network for which we wrote this post. Or, as Boaventura de Sousa Santos argues, philanthropy based on solidarity, volunteering and reciprocity. [6]<\/a> Evidence of this can be found in the series of publications Covid Emergency Studies<\/a>, from GIFE, with analyzes of the relevance of philanthropy and social investment during the pandemic in 2020 in Brazil. [7]<\/a> See Ballestrin, Luciana (Op. cit<\/em>.). [8]<\/a> Which is also expressed in academic, erudite and\/or non-inclusive language. We, the authors of this text, recognize our own limitations in this sense and provoke ourselves to write the next essay on this theme, bringing writing closer to our orality, as well as being inspired by the conception of language defended by Lelia Gonzalez, the \u201cpretugu\u00eas\u201d, as well as in the writing of Concei\u00e7\u00e3o Evaristo, for example. [9]<\/a> To learn about practical examples of philanthropic initiatives and models that move towards a decolonial turn, we recommend reading Hopstein, Graciela; Perez, Milena. (2021). The role and protagonism of civil society in confronting the Covid-19 pandemic in Brazil<\/a>. ). Covid Emergency Studies Series. GIFE (Study Group, Foundations and Companies). S\u00e3o Paulo; and Aoqui, Cassius; dos Santos, Diana Mendes. (2019). New narratives for social investment and access to resources in the peripheries<\/a>. GIFE Synapse. [10]<\/a> See reference suggestions in note 9.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Cassio Aoqui \u2013 <\/strong>executive director of pontAponte, a consultancy specialized in qualifying social investment and philanthropy with operations throughout Brazil and Mexico, and a doctoral student in Social Change and Political Participation (EACH-USP). I have a master's and bachelor's degree in Administration (FEA-USP) and I work as a postgraduate professor in Strategic Management in Sustainability (FIA), in addition to being an advisor, mentor and volunteer in several organizations (such as Pot\u00eancias Perif\u00e9ricas and Semper FEA). I worked as a journalist at Folha de S.Paulo for more than ten years. Not least, I'm from S\u00e3o Paulo from Casa Verde (ZN), married to Mateus, father of Nina (three-legged) and currently pregnant (in the adoption process).<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Jessica Gon\u00e7alves \u2013<\/strong> Project coordinator at PonteAponte, graduated in Communication and Multimedia (PUC-SP) and postgraduate student in Social Project Management in Third Sector Organizations from the same institution. I move between photography and production of projects focused on valuing Afro-diasporic culture and the empowerment of black women. I support the Girassol Podcast project, which offers a space for dialogue through the exchange of experiences about different life processes. I believe that through my work I can contribute to the social transformation of the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u00edcia Cardoso \u2013 <\/strong>Project assistant at PonteAponte and graduated in Public Policy Management (EACH-USP). I am a mentor at Rede Pot\u00eancias Perif\u00e9ricas, an intersectional feminist, peripheral and motivated by the reduction of any and all expressions of discrimination and social inequality. I also like learning how to cook nutritious and delicious foods, enjoying a samba circle and creating imaginary steps.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By C\u00e1ssio Aoqui, J\u00e9ssica Gon\u00e7alves & Let\u00edcia Cardoso<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil lions have their own historians, hunting stories will continue to glorify the hunter.\u201d<\/p>\n

This African proverb, already cited by intellectuals such as Emir Sader and Eduardo Galeano, expresses well the core of why it is important for us to reflect \u2013 and act \u2013 in order to promote a decolonial turn in philanthropy.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[125,126,147],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-filantropia-decolonial","category-ponteaponte","category-transforma-recomenda"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-wyy8bhlsif5v8gukfr0yhxue.studio.tikovolpe.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-wyy8bhlsif5v8gukfr0yhxue.studio.tikovolpe.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-wyy8bhlsif5v8gukfr0yhxue.studio.tikovolpe.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-wyy8bhlsif5v8gukfr0yhxue.studio.tikovolpe.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-wyy8bhlsif5v8gukfr0yhxue.studio.tikovolpe.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3580"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-wyy8bhlsif5v8gukfr0yhxue.studio.tikovolpe.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3580\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-wyy8bhlsif5v8gukfr0yhxue.studio.tikovolpe.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-wyy8bhlsif5v8gukfr0yhxue.studio.tikovolpe.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-wyy8bhlsif5v8gukfr0yhxue.studio.tikovolpe.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-wyy8bhlsif5v8gukfr0yhxue.studio.tikovolpe.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}