Under the ancestral shadow: colonialism, capitalism, and the crisis of the present

Abstract

This critical review of the work Catástrofe ancestral: e existências no liberalismo tardio, by Elizabeth Povinelli, explores the complexity of contemporary crises from a dense and engaged anthropological perspective. The book proposes that catastrophe is not an unprecedented phenomenon, but an ancestral condition, whose roots go back to colonialism and structural racism. Povinelli argues that late liberalism, by absorbing demands for social and environmental justice, does not change its central logic of exploitation and exclusion, perpetuating violence against subjugated peoples and vulnerable territories. The author bases her analysis on her experience with Aboriginal communities in Australia, highlighting how the existence of these groups is marked by the daily struggle for survival and dignity. The dialogue with theorists such as Arendt, Césaire, Deleuze, Glissant and Guattari allows the author to construct a critique that goes beyond denunciation, pointing to the need to recognize the knowledge and practices of marginalized peoples as effective alternatives for life. The book challenges anthropology to rethink its disciplinary foundations, proposing an ethical and political stance committed to the radical transformation of relations between humans and non-humans, between cultures and territories. Thus, the book presents itself as a fundamental reference for understanding global crises and seeking possible paths towards ecological and social justice.