About alterity

approximations and distances between Sayad and Todorov

Abstract

This paper aims to examine Abdelmalek Sayad's (1998) and Tzvetan Todorov's (1983) approaches to the notion of alterity, from the Western perspective of colonization in America and decolonization in Africa. There are these two points of view through which the authors discuss the lack of alterity in the processes of colonization: while Todorov focuses on the theme from the point of view of the (Spanish) colonizer, Sayad tries to present the point of view of the colonized (North African migrant). Through a comparative study, we will analyze the works “Immigration or the paradoxes of alterity”, by Sayad, and “The conquest of America: the question of the other'', by Todorov, in which these thinkers, each in their own way, will deal with experiences and narratives about the other at different times. The conclusion highlights the relevance of these works as essential objects of analysis to understand and reevaluate the notion of alterity in colonial and post-colonial scenarios.