A CRIAÇÃO DE UM POVO

mito, história e o desafio da diversidade - A construção de uma história nacional à sombra do silenciamento cultural

Abstract

This article explores the concept of "founding myth" and its relationship with the construction of national identity, highlighting how myths, as symbolic and cultural narratives, shape and legitimize systems of power and control. By discussing myth as a construction that goes beyond the limits of simple historical representation, the text addresses how it serves to consolidate the vision of a homogeneous and monolithic society, erasing the multiple realities and experiences of marginalized peoples, especially Afro-Brazilians and indigenous peoples. Based on a critical analysis of the thought of Marilena Chauí and other theorists, the article examines the danger of the "single story" proposed by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which silences other narratives in favor of a single, dominant version of history. The founding myth, while originating and maintaining a national identity, reflects the imposition of a power that erases the diverse ways of existing and living, establishing an official history that perpetuates exclusion and oppression.