Feudalism and Euro-centrism: Contributions to a Decolonial Critique of Technofeudalism

Feudalismo y eurocentrismo: aportes para una crítica decolonial del tecnofeudalismo

This article challenges the adoption of neologisms such as "technofeudalism" in social sciences to explain the developments of the world system. Drawing on Elizabeth Brown, Susan Reynolds, and Kathleen Davis' works, we challenge the historical validity of feudalism as a scholarly construct, by arguing this was a conceptual tool emerged in the 16^th century to legitimize political and economic power. We aim to show how these neologisms essentialize and distort contemporary power dynamics. We examine how feudal historiography had an influence in our modern political theory, by perpetuating Euro-centric narratives. Findings suggest that feudalism was not a uniform historic system and that its anachronic use obscures our understanding of today's complex dynamics. As a result, we advance a decolonial approach to overcome historical essentializations and build more accurate analytical categories. This article contributes to a criticism of Eurocentrism and provides tools to rethink mainstream narratives in social sciences.