To Think in Spanish in the Multiculturalistic Ibero-American World

Abstract

Based on Gadamer’s conception about the relationship between language and tradition, I pose the question ¿Which is the intellectual tradition intrinsic to thinking in Spanish? In response to this question, it is important to state that in America the spanish language, more specifically, Castellian language has an imperialist origin, since it was imposed over a variety of indigenous languages from the very beginning of Iberian conquest and domination in the New World. But it is equally important to point out that Spanish language was used since the very beginning of Iberoamerica in XVI century to question the legitimacy of Spanish empire, as well to defend human rights of indigenous people and even to build up an hispanoamerican culture that latter on would become the basis of nationalist baroque cultures (Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Sigüenza y Góngora, Claviero, Alegre, Eguiara y Eguren, Servando Teresa de Mier). Therefore, castellian language could be considered as a imperial language as well as a emancipatory and libertarian thinking, promoting an open and edifying intercultural dialogue, specially with indigenous languages and cultures that have survived five centuries of domination and exclusion. During the history of Iberoamerica for the last five years, the most outstanding humanists, from Las Casas and Alonso de la Veracruz to Gaos and Sánchez Vázquez, have cultivated this intercultural dialogical community which is one of the most important intellectual traditions in Spanish language.