Fed o, Re is a de Es é ica y Teo ía de las A es.
Núme o 24, sep iemb e de 2024. ISSN 1697-8072
[pp. 127-151]
h ps://dx.doi.o g/10.12795/Fed o/2024.i24.08
RITMO, CONTAGIO, “RAZA CÓSMICA”: NUEVOS
CAMINOS DE LA MIMESIS EN EL MÉXICO
POSCOLONIAL.
RHYTHM, CONTAGION, “COSMIC RACE”: NEW PATHS
OF MIMESIS IN POST-COLONIAL MEXICO
Lo ena G igole o
Uni e si y o Tuebingen /Accademia di Belle A i di Napoli
Resumen
En su ex o Pi ágo as. Una eo ía del i mo (1921), el ilóso o mexicano José Vasconcelos
lle a a cabo una in e esan e elec u a del pi ago ismo an iguo pa a eo ien a la di ección
simbólico-abs ac a del pensamien o occiden al, que pa ece allana una nue a línea
de explo ación genealógica de la cues ión de la mímesis en un con ex o poscolonial.
La noción es é ica de i mo, además de desplaza el discu so sob e la mímesis de la
dimensión isual a la acús ico-emocional, p esen a no obs an e las ca ac e ís icas y los
iesgos de lo que Schele denomina «unipa ía» o con agio y adquie e una signi icación
pa icula men e impo an e cuando se conside a como la p emisa eó ica del amoso
ensayo asconceliano La aza cósmica (1925). Es e a ículo econs uye el ínculo en e
las nociones de i mo, con agio y « aza cósmica» pa a e lexiona sob e la cues ión de la
al e idad, sob e los p ocesos mimé ico- í micos del cue po indi idual y sociopolí ico, y
sob e el iesgo de «desimbolización» del pensamien o que al p oceso quizás ocul e.
127
Palab as cla e: i mo, con agio; mes izaje; aza; mímesis; poscolonial.
Abs ac
In his ex Pi ágo as. Una eo ía del i mo (1921), he Mexican philosophe José Vasconcelos
ca ies ou an in e es ing e eading o ancien Py hago eanism o eo ien he symbolic-
abs ac di ec ion o Wes e n hough , which seems o pa e a new line o genealogical
explo a ion o he ques ion o mimesis in a pos colonial con ex . The aes he ic no ion
o hy hm, as well as shi ing he discou se on mimesis om he isual o he acous ic-
emo ional dimension, ne e heless p esen s he cha ac e is ics and isks o wha Schele
calls “unipa hy” o con agion and acqui es a pa icula ly impo an signi icance when
conside ed as he heo e ical p emise o he amous Vasconcelian essay The Cosmic Race
(1925). This a icle econs uc s he link be ween he no ions o hy hm, con agion and
“cosmic ace” o e lec on he ques ion o o he ness, on he mime ic- hy hmic p ocesses
o he indi idual and socio-poli ical body, and on he isk o he “desymbolisa ion” o
hough ha such a p ocess pe haps conceals.
Keywo ds: hy hm, con agion; mes izaje; ace; mimesis; pos -colonial.
1. 1920s and 2020s: esonances o a “mime ic u n”?
Philosophy’s in e es in he ques ion o mimesis seems o be somewha inhe en o
i . In he pano ama o cu en s udies, as much in he philosophical as in he li e a y,
scien i ic, and socio-poli ical sphe es, his heme has in ac acqui ed a di e en
conno a ion, albei wi h a p ecise genealogy, which makes i he p o agonis o a ious
social phenomena, a is ic and li e a y dynamics, and cogni i e p ocesses in he
pe spec i e o neu osciences. This ecen ehabili a ion o mimesis has aken place
wi hin he amewo k o a eseman iciza ion ha no longe unde s ands i in he logic o
a “me aphysics o sameness”1 bu einse s i in o a plu ali y o disciplina y pe spec i es
aimed a e hinking and syn hesising his concep in i s p e-Pla onic meaning. The esul
is an o al, i ual, and embodied concep ion o mimesis, hus associa ed wi h he body in
mo emen , d ama isa ion, and he a ec i e dimension. This new sense o imi a ion inds
in he hapsode Ion o he Pla onic dialogue wi h he same name a key igu e. In ac ,
Ion can enchan his audience h ough he in isible medium o oice, me e, and hy hm,
he eby gene a ing a s a e o en husias ic and con agious dispossession ha Pla o, pa ing
he way o Nie zsche, compa es o he Dionysian Maenads2.
1. Law oo, N. (2022). Homo Mime icus. A new heo y o imi a ion. Leu en Uni e si y P ess, p. 12.
2. Id., p. 79.
128
This in ensi ied in e es in he mime ic ques ion – amed as a “mime ic u n”, among he
many “ u ns” o he 20 h and 21s cen u ies – is ce ainly jus i ied by a leas wo ac o s:
on he one hand, he decades-long disco e y, no wi hou c i ical oices ega ding i s
impac , o he so-called “mi o neu ons”; on he o he , he undispu ed and pe asi e
powe o he new media.
In he con ex o his “mime ic u n” in ended o p omo e a concep ion o d ama ic,
a ec i e, o beha iou al mimesis ha is o en neglec ed in philosophical con ex s and ac s
unconsciously in a ious aspec s o human li e, he ocus does no all on ep esen a ion,
and hus on he s a ic na u e o images and hei ep oduc ion. Ra he , i is on ac ion,
mo emen , and he phenomena o embodimen : wha Law oo also calls he “pa ho-
logical” componen o mimesis3. Th ough his o mula, which is in ended o indica e he
dynamic in e ac ion be ween a ec s and eason, body, and mind, he wishes o e e o
bo h he mime ic a ec (pa hos) and he c i ical discou se (logos) ha eme ges p ecisely
om exposu e o his componen and i s pa hologies. In his way, i is also possible o
place discou ses on mimesis beyond a pu ely epis emological pe spec i e o e e o
sociological and an h opological analyses capable, a he , o e lec ing on he mime ic
na u e o he human, hus conside ing i om i s pa hic, unconscious, in e subjec i e, and
necessa ily ela ional componen . Hence he deba e on he concep s o sympa hy (sym-
pa hos as “ eeling wi h”) and a ec i e con agion, which e iden ly conce n indi idual
as much as he collec i e and poli ical bodies, and e lec ions ha e e o he sub le
his o ical-genealogical and concep ual link be ween he no ion o mimesis and ha o
mé hexis (pa icipa ion).
This “ e- u n” o mimesis has he me i o ha ing c ea ed a solid b idge be ween disciplines
ha sha e a opical hema ic and p oblema ic ho izon. Howe e , i some imes seems o
lack he speci ici y o ce ain concep s and, despi e he p ecise genealogy adop ed, o
ail o pay due a en ion o his o ical and philosophical phenomena ha a es o he
p esence o he heme in his same meaning a key momen s in his o y bu ou side and
be o e he u ning poin i pu po s o a i m. This a en ion, on he con a y, can help us
o unde s and he easons o he eappea ance o his meaning in ce ain epochs and o
show, as we shall see, i s signi icance in cul u al and poli ical ci cums ances subsequen o
he colonial pe iod bu no ye a ec ed by he use o decolonial ca ego ies, and he e o e
no asc ibable o an au hen ically pos colonial pe spec i e in which his “mime ic u n”
is in ended o be inse ed.
In his pe spec i e, his a icle in ends o e lec on aspec s ha in some way esona e
wi h he no ion o mimesis a i med in he con ex o his possible “ u n” by ocusing on
he p oblema ic o hy hmic con agion h ough an in ellec ual li le known in he pu ely
philosophical con ex : he Mexican hinke and poli ician José Vasconcelos.
3. Id., p. 21.
129
This impo an igu e in he La in Ame ican con ex began his in ellec ual jou ney
as a membe o he A eneo de la Ju en ud, a di e se g oup o w i e s, philosophe s,
doc o s, a chi ec s, and pain e s who p omo ed a p o ound de elopmen based on
he humani ies. Howe e , he impo ance o Vasconcelos’ philosophical and cul u al
p oposal, which we in end o examine he e om he poin o iew o a new app oach o
he concep o mimesis, eme ges in a pa icula way when we place i in he speci ici y
o he socio-poli ical ci cums ances o Mexico a he ime. In he a e ma h o he end
o Po i io Díaz’s en-yea dic a o ship and o n apa by yea s o e olu ion and ci il
wa , he Mexican eali y p esen ed i sel a ound he 1920s as p o oundly uns able and,
in some ways, en i ely o be econs uc ed. The e-elabo a ion o he colonial pas , he
la ge indigenous componen o he popula ion and he posi i is inhe i ance ha played
o yea s in a ou o he egime’s poli ical s uc u e, cons i u ed a p o ound challenge
o a hough ha was up o he imes, ha is, capable o e hinking Mexican iden i y
wi hou losing sigh o an e en g ea e and mo e u gen appeal: ha add essed o La in
Ame ican iden i y and i s poli ical ole. In his sense, he answe s and p oposals ha
Vasconcelos p omo es, pa icula ly h ough he essay on he Cosmic Race, a e si ua ed,
despi e he limi a ions o i s cul u al and philosophical assump ions, on se e al le els
and ha e ep esen ed a signi ican b eakpoin in he pano ama o heo ies on mes izaje
while gi ing a s ong impulse, albei in some ways isiona y, o he decolonial deba e.
Vasconcelos, ac ually, is bes known o p oposing he idea o he Cosmic Race, a concep
o acial and cul u al mixing ha would lead o a new, supe io human ace. Howe e , his
philosophical, in ellec ual, and poli ical ajec o y is cha ac e ised i s and o emos by
he p omo ion o educa ion o achie e social jus ice and o a and cul u e as ins umen s
o na ional uni ica ion. He, in ac , sough o combine a philosophical e lec ion wi h a
poli ical and social p ojec ha was he mani es a ion and esul o a e o m o hough
ha was hence o h a en i e o he hy hmic componen o he human.
I is, he e o e, wi h he e lec ions o one o he leading igu es o 1920s Mexico ha
i is possible o ace such a ede ini ion o he concep o mimesis in he con ex o
his aes he ic in e p e a ion o Py hago eanism. To his end, he a icle p oposes o
e lec on he cen al heme o “ ace”, o mes izaje, as i de elops in pos -colonial (in he
sense o a e he decla a ion o independence) and pos - e olu iona y Mexico wi hin
he amewo k o Vasconcelos’ ein e p e a ion o Py hago eanism as a philosophical
p oposal ha p i ileges he hy hmic and a ec i e dimension o he human.
The easons o his e u n o Py hago eanism a e signi ican and can con ibu e o
en iching he genealogy o his concep ion o mimesis, oo ed once again in “p e-Pla onic”
hough . In he las decades o he 19 h cen u y, in ac , La in Ame ican Mode nis w i e s
and poe s we e inspi ed by mo i s and symbols linked o he my h o O pheus and he
eachings o he Py hago ean school handed down by Neo-Pla onism and impo ed
130
mainly h ough F ench symbolism. Al hough he did no belong o he anks o li e a y
Mode nism, Vasconcelos inhe i ed some o i s sugges ions and demands, making hem
he pi o o his philosophical heo ies and posi ions ega ding he iden i y o La in
Ame ica. This pe spec i e, a he same ime p o oundly in luenced by Nie zschean
hough , is unc ional o a e-app op ia ion o he emo ional componen agains a single
model o (Wes e n) a ionali y unwilling o concede space o he e ogenei y and o he ness
(also om a poli ical poin o iew), and o he a i ma ion o a mys ical ision o eali y
agains he posi i ism p e ailing in Mexico a he ime.
In ac , he a is ic me aphysics o he young Nie zsche in The Bi h o T agedy o e s
Vasconcelos he oppo uni y o add ess a p o ound c i ique o Wes e n hough and he
iden i ica ion be ween logos and he isual- ep esen a ional pa adigm unde s ood as
esponsible o a «me aphysics o he sameness» and a poli ics o homogenei y, aimed a
he imposi ion o “one” model. Based on a bina y logic ha opposes he iden i ica ion o
sigh -logos o ha o hea ing and pa hos, Vasconcelos in ends o p omo e a philosophy
inspi ed by a hypo he ical p e-Pla onic Py hago eanism. Indeed, in he mo e a chaic
no ion o hy hm linked o i would eside he possibili y o cons uc ing a so o logos
o pa hos (pa ho-logy) based on he p imacy o hea ing and essen ial o concei ing
hough , he subjec , and he poli ical dimension di e en ly as a space o he c ea ion o
he e ogenei y and o he ness.
The e o e, his a icle seeks o show how Py hago eanism i s in o a p e-“pos colonial
pe spec i e” – he e unde s ood as inhe en o pos colonial heo y – ha aims o
o e come he absolu is d i s o a a ionalism, unde s ood as he cul u al ho izon o
he Wes , h ough he ein eg a ion o mousike in o he polis, as we shall see in he las
pa ag aph. I is a ques ion o showing how Vasconcelian hough seems o i ui ully
in o he p ecise genealogy o his embodied concep ion o mimesis, adding an essen ial
aspec o i . Indeed, al hough he Mexican philosophe does no explici ly e e o ei he
he Pla o o he Ion o he A is o le o he Poe ics as sou ces o his “pa ho-logy”, he seems
o inhe i hei e lec ions. Hence he e e ence o he igu e o he poe -philosophe
and he ole ha ca ha sis plays in his educa ional policy. Howe e , by acing in ancien
Py hago eanism he possibili y o a ede ini ion o hough h ough hy hm and pa hos,
he makes a decisi e con ibu ion o he ex ension o his genealogical line. In his sense, i
is possible o iden i y wo signi ican aspec s: i s ly, he shows h ough his own in ellec ual
ilia ion how his inhe i ance de i es no so much om philosophe s bu om poe s,
om whom he in ac inhe i s i ; and secondly, how a Py hago eanism unde s ood as a
philosophy o hy hm, associa ed as we shall see wi h he al e na i e no ion o mimesis in
he sense indica ed abo e, becomes ele an o pos colonial e lec ion. In so doing, his
e lec ion in ends no only o con ibu e o he genealogical explo a ion o he concep o
131

mimesis and wha we migh call i s “poe ic ilia ion”, bu also o show how i i s decisi ely
in o he pos colonial deba e he e connec ed o he La in Ame ican iden i y ques ion.
The way in which he no ion o hy hm i s ui ully in o pos colonial discou se is nei he
abou he “mimic y” o he colonised subjec and hus he s a egies o colonial powe
(as shown by Homi Bhabha4) no exac ly abou he no ion o «pos -colonial mimesis»
heo ised by Law oo5 . The la e , in ac , is unde s ood as a e o mula ion o colonial
na a i es by a pos -colonial au ho . This is he case wi h Achebe and he ale o he
collec i e enzy, he musical and mime ic i ual o he Igbo people unc ional o he
s eng hening o communi y ies and he social body: a li e a y ope a ion concei ed by
Law oo as a e e sal o he image o A ica and ha “p imi i e”, insidious, and con agious
enzy obse ed by he p o agonis o Con ad’s Hea o Da kness. Al hough Vasconcelos
canno be unde s ood as a decolonial au ho because o he acial and e olu iona y
legacies ha his hough p esen s, i is equally ue ha his philosophical p oposal,
which eco e s hy hm as he key no ion o he pa he ic and a ec i e componen o
he human, becomes he essen ial ool o he ealisa ion, by con agion, o an ideal and
ans acial communi y. The no ion o «pos -colonial mimesis», he e o e, can be use ul
in iden i ying a heo e ical co e ac i e wi hin pos -colonial hough and iden i ied as
o he han he Wes e n a io. In his sense, is in e es ing o no e how his Py hago ean
inspi a ion is loca ed bo h inside and ou side he Wes e n logos. Inside because i makes
i sel hei o a adi ion o hough ecognised as unde pinning Wes e n language and
philosophical ca ego ies, ou side because i appeals o a be o e, o an incipi o hough
no ye ouched by he “Wes e n” sigh -logos pa adigm. In his way, he mime ic and
musical pa hos ha anima es Vasconcelian e lec ion con empla es he econcilia ion
be ween he acquisi ion o a philosophical language o ien ed agains he logos i sel and
he expe imen a ion o an embodied mimesis en us ed wi h he possibili y o ealising
u u e uni y and cohesion. F om his pe spec i e, he his o ical legacy o he colonial
pas con e s La in Ame ica in o a e ile con aine o cul u es and a possible ans acial
and anscul u al labo a o y. Howe e , while Py hago eanism is unc ional in shi ing
he discou se om he isual- ep esen a ional dimension o he acous ic-emo ional one,
declining mimesis in he o m o “ hy hmic con agion”, i also e eals he ambi alence
and e en he h ea inhe en in his pe spec i e. Indeed, he alo isa ion o hy hm is
pa o a pos colonial pe spec i e ha is c i ical o he Wes e n logos bu , a he same
ime, as we will show la e , demons a es once again how i , and mo e gene ally ha
ope a ion aimed a e e sing he Pla onic ac o ous ing mousike om he polis (i.e. i s
4. Homi Bhabha, K. (1994). O Mimic y and Man: The Ambi alence o Colonial Discou se, in Id.,
The Loca ion o Cul u e. Rou ledge: pp. 85-92.
5. Law oo, N. (2016). Con ad’s Shadow. Ca as ophe, Mimesis, Theo y. Michigan S a e Uni e si y
P ess: pp. 199-200.
132
ein eg a ion), is a ha binge o possible o ali a ian d i s in he poli ical sphe e. Mo e
gene ally, i e eals he e e -looming h ea ep esen ed by wha can be seen as speci ic
pa hologies o mimesis, ha is, linked o i s a ec i e po en ial and i s enchan ing powe .
Finally, he ocus on mime ic dynamics in he con ex o a new “mime ic u n” is no only
necessa y o ein e p e speci ic con empo a y phenomena, bu also allows us o ace
a singula and signi ican co espondence be ween he decade o he new millennium
(2020s) in which we ind ou sel es and he “glo ious” 1920s o he las cen u y; he sho ,
oa ing, au hen ically ca as ophic one in which he o he , unconscious side o eason
would appea on he scene o His o y.
2. A place o pain ing: a Mani es o
I is di icul o econs uc b ie ly he ex ao dina y ime o Mexico in he 1920s,
commi ed o a poli ical and cul u al p og amme cen ed on he cons uc ion o an
iden i y ha claims o mo e ambiguously be ween he na ional and pos -colonial sphe e,
and uni e salis , ans-na ional, ans-cul u al and ans-“ acial” aspi a ions ha ha e
a decidedly u opian cha ac e . Among i s p o agonis s, besides w i e s such as Al onso
Reyes and a is s such as Diego Ri e a, Da id Al a os Siquei os, F ida Khalo and Tina
Modo i, was José Vasconcelos. Based on his own philosophical e lec ions, he p omo ed
an ex ao dina y e o m p og amme, i.e. an eno mous cul u al and li e acy campaign,
and he de elopmen and eo ganisa ion o he Fine A s in Mexico.
F om his pe spec i e, i is in e es ing o begin his e lec ion om a amous “place” in
Mexican pain ing (a pic o ial ep esen a ion as a classic example o mimesis) commissioned
by he hen p esiden o he Sec e a ia o Public Educa ion (SEP), José Vasconcelos, o
he mu alis Diego Ri e a. A place o pain ing ha sounds like a mani es o and allows
us o app oach he heo e ical amewo k in which he no ion o hy hm, hus a peculia
meaning o mimesis, i s. In he conclusion o his amous ex The Cosmic Race. The
Mission o he Ibe o-Ame ican Race (1925) Vasconcelos explains he unde lying hemes
and es i ies o he model behind his ep esen a ion. In hese pages, he w i es ha a ew
yea s be o e elabo a ing his ideas on he “ usion” o he ou main “ aces” ( he whi e,
ed, black, and yellow) and ci ilisa ions, he assigned hem symbols. In ac , he book was
w i en a ew yea s a e he c ea ion o hese wo ks, which a e he e o e desc ibed ex-
pos . The ask o ansla ing his e lec ions, symbols and allego ies in o images was gi en
o a ew a is s who deco a ed he new Palace o Educa ion o Mexico Ci y, including
Ri e a. Spain, Mexico, G eece, and India hus appea in he o m o sculp u al allego ies
as he mos signi ican ci ilisa ions in he o ma ion o La in Ame ica. Howe e , based
on his econs uc ion, wha is mos s iking a e he missing elemen s in he cu en
deco a i e con igu a ion o he palace. In ac , ou s one s a ues we e o ep esen he
ou aces, while a cen al monumen would symbolise he union o he h ee s a es:
133
ma e ial, in ellec ual and aes he ic. In his way, he Mexican philosophe demons a es
ha he is adop ing a posi i is pe spec i e hei o Com ian laws o communica e an
image o Ame ica ha is gene ous and ich, inso a as i accommoda es hese all equally
necessa y cul u al and “ acial” di e si ies, and he e o e capable mo e han any o he o
accommoda ing he c ea ion o he inal ace: he Cosmic Race6. We s a ed om a place
in he pain ing, he e o e, bu also om a non-place, om he u opian shadow ha his
ep esen a ion p ojec s, sugges ing, a he same ime, a p o ound link be ween mimesis
and u- opia.
The Cosmic Race is o be unde s ood no only as an a emp o cons i u e a pos -colonial
iden i y bu also in he ho izon o a p o ound ede ini ion o Wes e n philosophical
hough aimed a a i ming an acous ic and musical pa adigm, and in his sense aes he ic-
mys ical, agains he pu ely isual and ep esen a ional pa adigm, i.e. he empi e o
Reason. In his sense, i is a ision, o cosmo ision, ha canno be in e p e ed co ec ly
excep by e e ing i o ano he essay in which Vasconcelos p esen s his own aes he ic
eading o Py hago eanism: Pi ágo as. Una eo ía del i mo (1916; 1921)7. The 1925 ex
speaks o a eal “mission” o La in Ame ica: i should ac as an excep ional labo a o y
o he c ea ion o a i h “ ace”, he Cosmic Race, wi hin he empo al amewo k o an
Aes he ic-Spi i ual epoch. This phase, he e o e, would be ma ked by an abandonmen
o Reason as he only legi ima e ins umen o g asp eali y and by a uni e sal mes izaje.
Howe e , hese a e no wo simul aneous and independen ans o ma ions, bu a he
in insically connec ed e en s. In his sense, i is no coincidence ha Vasconcelos, in
addi ion o speci ically e e ing o no ions o musical de i a ion, such as “ hy hm”,
“melody” and “sche zo”, speaks o mes izaje as aes he ic pa hos, “con agion” o “co dial
usion”. Mo eo e , i is he e y e ymology o “co dial”, om co -co dis, ha a es s o he
in ima e link be ween “hea ” and “cho d”, be ween he a ec i e and he musical.
In his sense, o ully unde s and mu als such as hose sponso ed by he SEP, and hus
commissioned by Vasconcelos, i is necessa y no only o conside hem in ela ion o
he essay, undamen al o ha e a and he La in Ame ican con ex , The Cosmic Race,
bu o hink o hem as deeply connec ed o his gene al philosophical amewo k and,
speci ically, o his sho essay on Py hago eanism.
6. Vasconcelos, J. (1997). The Cosmic Race: a bilingual edi ion. T ansla ed, wi h an in oduc ion,
by Didie T. Jaén, A e wo k by Joseba Gabilondo. The Johns Hopkins Uni e si y P ess: p. 40.
7. The i s edi ion was published in 1916 while a second, expanded edi ion came ou in 1921,
when Vasconcelos e ie ed some no es in Mexico Ci y a e e u ning om his i s exile in he
Uni ed S a es.
134
3. Rhy hm and Con agion: F om Mimesis o Mé hexis
To cemen he link be ween hese wo ex s, he e is he ini ial ame o he 1925 essay in
which Vasconcelos heo ises he ela ionship be ween «pe iods o mes izaje» and a g ea e
«c ea i e capaci y» in cul u al e ms. Indeed, Vasconcelos w i es: «The mos illus ious
epochs o humani y ha e been, p ecisely, hose in which se e al di e en peoples ha e
come in o con ac and mixed wi h each o he »8. A emp s ha e been made on se e al
occasions in his o y o demons a e a co ela ion be ween gene ic cha ac e is ics and
cul u al pe o mance; Vasconcelos’ e lec ion i s in o a simila ho izon bu e e ses i s
objec i es. I is no longe he ideal o “pu i y” ha cons i u es a possible goal, bu a he
mes izaje. In his pe spec i e, La in Ame ica lends i sel o becoming he place o as-
simila ion o he ou aces, because in ac i al eady includes hem, and o con e ing
hem in o a new human ype. This possibili y is no only due o he exis ence on he same
e i o y o di e en e hnic g oups and cul u es, bu , acco ding o Vasconcelos, o hei
g ea e capaci y o “sympa hy”, o sym-pa hein. I is in e es ing o no e how he no ion
o sympa hy, which is al eady in i sel equi ocally si ua ed be ween he domain o na u e
and ha o cul u e, is he e ela ed o a socio-poli ical-cul u al and spi i ual p econdi ion.
Mo eo e , i is emblema ically linked o he e b “assimila e” ( om he La in assimila e
o assimula e, composed o ad plus similis), which means “ o make simila ” bu which
also e e s o holding di e en componen s oge he a he same ime (simul), hence he
ambigui y o he e m “simula e”. In his sense, “assimila e” he e implies bo h a con e sion
capable o p ese ing a ce ain dis ance wi h he o he , and a me abolic p ocess capable
o con e ing o ganisms in o o ganic subs ances, i.e. a con e sion ha abolishes his
dis ance by me abolising he o he . The «Mission o he La in Ame ican Race», he e o e,
lies, acco ding o he au ho , in achie ing his sup eme syn hesis, in opposi ion o he
unchallenged dominance o he “whi e man” as i occu ed in No h Ame ica. The way
h ough i would be possible o achie e his syn hesis is o be sea ched in his e lexions
on he hy hmic ela ionship be ween subjec and objec con ained in his essay on
Py hago as (1921)9.
In his wo k, Vasconcelos o e s a ein e p e a ion o Py hago eanism, which does no
claim o be a ai h ul econs uc ion om a his o ical-philosophical poin o iew. Ins ead,
i aims o iden i y in he in es iga ion o hy hm he o iginal heo e ical nucleus o he
ancien School. I would no be he numbe a he basis o he Py hago ean doc ine, bu
a he hy hm as a philosophical alue, as an “expe ience o hy hm”, he expe ience o
eeling pe aded by sound as i he body we e endowed wi h he s ings o a ly e ha
8. Vasconcelos, J. (1997). The Cosmic Race: a bilingual edi ion, ci .: p. 32.
9. Vasconcelos, J. (1959). Pi ágo as. Una eo ía del i mo. In Id., Ob as Comple as, ol. III.
Lib e os Mexicanos Unidos.
135
5. The Visual Composi ion o he Place
The Cosmic Race, howe e , is i s and o emos a book and should pe haps be mo e
app op ia ely unde s ood as a ue li e a y expe imen ha seems o ely once again
on he mime ic powe o hy hm. Indeed, in his ex as in a ious momen s o his
e lec ion, Vasconcelos assigns a decisi e ole o he unc ion o an asy as an ins umen
o anscendence, o he « ans igu a ion» o eali y; a «li u gical» ins umen , in he
o iginal sense o “ac ion o he people”29. I is no a ques ion o an asy concei ed as
me e in en ion, hen, bu as he sup eme i ue o he poe -mys ic, whose model seems
o be Dan e o he Di ine Comedy: «Poi pio e den o l’al a an asia» («Then i ained
wi hin he high an asy»), he Flo en ine poe w i es, hus showing he e ela o y and
di ine cha ac e ha i assumes30. Bu i an asy has, essen ially, a ans o ma i e powe ,
o which i is ul ima ely en us ed wi h he ask o ealising he Aes he ic E a and he
Cosmic Race, i is only h ough w i ing and he e bal images i c ea es ha i can sp ead,
in ec , and be ealised. In his sense, his ex should pe haps be unde s ood as a li e a y
a emp o do so, o e ing he eade wha we migh call “pe o ma i e images”, jus as
ce ain u e ances a e pe o ma i e. Which means ha i an asy has ans o ma i e
powe , i is hanks o a hy hmic-mime ic capaci y o li e a u e ha Vasconcelos does
no make explici , bu which can be econs uc ed in he ollowing way.
Fi s ly, we can obse e ha Vasconcelos seems o g asp he lesson o Igna ius o Loyola.
Al hough he Mexican au ho does no explici ly e e o he Spanish monk, he g ea
in luence o his Spi i ual Exe cises (Eje cicios espi i uales, 1548) in he Spanish and
Hispano-Ame ican basin o hough is undoub ed. I is possible, he e o e, o disce n
a simila i y be ween Loyola’s me hod and he ask ha , acco ding o Vasconcelos, he
29. As Vasconcelos w i es in his wo k Es é ica: “La an asía en cambio, c ea el g an a e madu o
como la Comedia de Dan e, en que los obje os y los pe sonajes se mue en i memen e en un
mundo poé ico o celes e, que no es icción, sino ealidad supe io a la ísica. Po eso el poema de
Dan e no es an ás ico sino li ú gico. [...] la an asía ope a en el poe a cuando és e maneja con
mano i me las ealidades del mundo del espí i u, a di e encia de la simple imaginación que se
en e iene en la ábula y el mi o”. Vasconcelos J. (1959). Es é ica. In Id., Ob as comple as, ol. III.
Lib e os Mexicanos Unidos: pp. 1330-1331.
30. Vasconcelos, J. (1961). Monismo es é ico, in Id., Ob as comple as, ol. IV. Lib e os Mexicanos
Unidos: p. 95. Fo Vasconcelos, he dis inc ion be ween imagina ion and an asy lies in a
di e ence ha is no so much quali a i e as quan i a i e. I he o me is capable o cons uc ing
he wo ld o able and my h, he la e , which is mo e powe ul, is capable o in oducing he
speci ically spi i ual space o he li u gy, in which images obey a syn hesis pu pose ha is
supe io o he me ely cogni i e one and whe eby a so o simul aneous “ ans igu a ion” o he
human pe son akes place. In Monismo es é ico, in ac , wi hin he amewo k o a dis inc ion
be ween poe , philosophe and mys ic, Vasconcelos assigns o he la e a he he powe o he
imagina ion whose objec is no longe images, bu e ela ions hemsel es.
142

li e a y o m, unde s ood as an agen o ans o ma ion by “con agion”, should ha e.
The Spi i ual Exe cises, in ac , consis in he p oduc ion o images aimed a ope a ing a
ans o ma ion in he belie e ; i.e. ope a i e images, ue agen s o ans o ma ion. Loyola’s
is he e o e a me hod o isualisa ion ha always s a s om he isual composi ion o
he place («composición iendo el luga ») o si ua e and accompany he eade ( h ough
he imagina i e iew: « is a imagina i a») in he p ac ice31. I is no coincidence ha
Eisens ein e e s o i in his Theo y o Mon age and ha Cal ino in his Lezioni ame icane
conside s hese exe cises, a so o “men al cinema”, as pa o a e lec ion on he p o ound
c isis o he imagina ion and he imagina y (abo e all poli ical) which, pa adoxically,
is g ipping ou ci ilisa ion o he image32. I isualisa ion is an essen ial componen o
“p ac ice”, in Loyola’s Exce sises, i is because i is he ool o accessing he expe ience o
God, o a kind o “embodimen ” o he di ine. The p ac ice i sel is embodimen , ha is,
expe iencing a pa h o a aining God, o which he isualisa ion is only a use ul ool. The
goal, on he con a y, is he ans o ma ion o he belie e h ough his e y expe ience.
The connec ion be ween isualisa ion and ans o ma ion can e iden ly ake on many
ace s. Thus, i Cal ino poin s ou ha Loyola’s me hod is akin o he cinema og aphic
dynamic ha emo ionally pe ades he subjec and places him, so o speak, in an in ima e
elsewhe e, Eisens ein e e s o i in he con ex o his heo ies, adding o his analogy an
essen ial aspec , o which Vasconcelos, al hough ex aneous o his pe spec i e, seems o
be awa e: he hy hm o he images. I is hei hy hm, hence he mon age, ha a ec s
he capaci y o emo ional subjec ion and ans o ma ion o he ecipien o he images.
I is no coincidence ha mon age becomes an excep ional and hen unp eceden ed
poli ical ool in he con ex o So ie p opaganda. Al hough Vasconcelos is o eign o
hese e e ences, i is possible o e ead some o his ope a ions and e lec ions in he
ligh o hese analyses. F om his pe spec i e, he kind o isual composi ion o place he
in i es in The Cosmic Race, oge he wi h some e e ences o he hy hm o images and
analyses o he li e a y o m as «symphony», capable o emo ionally cap u ing he eade
by ope a ing a ans o ma ion, seem o p o i ably place hemsel es in he pe spec i e
ou lined abo e. In his way, ins ead o s opping a he ob ious limi s o Vasconcelian
e lec ion, i is possible o e ead his p oposals on a new ho izon, assuming hem as he
es imony o a sensi i i y wi h espec o inc easingly inescapable hemes.
In he same way as Loyola, Vasconcelos seems o a ach decisi e impo ance o he isual
composi ion o he place. The e o e, he dwells on he desc ip ion o he u u e cosmopolis
(Uni e sopolis, loca ed in he opical bel ) and imagines i s a chi ec u e, which would
p esen mainly spi al mo i s, symbol o in ini y, py amids, and a landscape, so o speak,
igu al, which lies beyond he o ms, ich in colou s and « hy hms», and which would
31. Loyola, I. de (2015). Eje cicios espi i uales. Passe ino: p. 45.
32. Cal ino, I. (2020). Lezioni ame icane. Mondado i: p. 85.
143
«emo ionally» communica e i s ichness. In his sense, Vasconcelos’s ex esembles a
kind o li e a y cap iccio ha , like pain ing, indulges in he imagina i e combina ion o
a chi ec u al, landscape and a chaeological elemen s, bu always wi h he aim o isually
and hy hmically cons uc ing u u e iden i y, i.e. he cosmic mes izo33. Fo Vasconcelos,
he image also has a sono ous, hy hmic, and con agious componen ha enables i o
mo e, o in ec 34. Indeed, in his essay on La Sin onía como o ma li e a ia (1921), he
speaks o « hy hmic con agion»35, as he p ocess ha he new li e a y o m is supposed
o achie e36.
I is possible, hence, o iden i y in The Cosmic Race an expe imen ha would like o ac
by exploi ing he mime ic p ocess no be ween ep esen a ion and eali y, bu a a mo e
unconscious and p e-linguis ic le el, be ween he hy hmic na u e o he eade and he
hy hmici y in insic o he ision o e ed in he li e a y wo k.
The ope a ion ca ied ou h ough his “li e a y expe imen ” mus he e o e be conside ed
as an in eg al pa o a e o m o hough ha in ends o philosophically ehabili a e
hy hm as a decons uc i e expe ience o he Wes e n logos.
33. On he link be ween hy hm and iden i y, see: Ga elli J. (1991). Ry hmes e mondes: au e e s
de l’iden i é e de l’al é i é. Edi ions Jé ôme Millon. This is a ques ion o undamen al impo ance
in o de o p obe he Vasconcelian philosophical and cul u al p oposal while a emp ing o
o e come i s limi a ions and he ambigui y o ce ain passages. I limi mysel he e o men ioning
he ex as a hypo he ical ack o ollow in he awa eness o he need o in es iga e such an
in e oga i e.
34. The e lec ions sugges ed he e by Vasconcelos, a he han heo ised, a e excep ionally well
e lec ed in con empo a y heo ies conce ning he dynamic in e ac ion be ween li e a u e and
isual cul u e and, mo e gene ally, he ela ionship be ween wo ds and images, and he mime ic
powe o he la e , included e bal images. In his sense, he desc ip ion o Uni e sopolis as
a u opian place, i.e. as some hing “ ealised” (albei imagina ily) and as some hing ha can be
desc ibed, would s and as ha ing he mime ic powe o in o m he use o he ex . Come a, M.
(2011). La sc i u a delle immagini. Le e a u a e cul u a isuale. Ra aello Co ina; Mo eau, P.-F.
(1982). Le éci u opique. D oi na u al e oman de l’É a . P.U.F.
35. J. Vasconcelos, Monismo es é ico, p. 20.
36. Joseba Gabilondo sugges s unde s anding he Vasconcelian essay in e ms o “my hical
ealism” o “u opian ealism”, as i seems genealogically connec ed o o he La in Ame ican o ms
ha con as wi h mode ni y, including p e-Columbian discou ses, a el accoun s and ic ion,
and magic ealism. Gabilondo’s eading is in e es ing because i ecognises a ela ionship no only
be ween “magic ealism” and “my hical ealism”, bu also a con as be ween he openness o he
la e , a leas in he i s pa o he Vasconcelian essay, and he closu e o he La in Ame ican
expe ience wi hin p ecise bounda ies (o he na ion-s a e) ha would ha e de e mined a ce ain
dys opian componen o he la e mani es a ion o magic ealism (see J. Gabilondo, A e wo d o
he 1997 Edi ion, 108-109). My hical o u opian ealism, in ac , a e ecognisable in he ension
be ween he my h o A lan is, which geog aphically would ha e de eloped in La in Ame ica,
and Uni e sopolis, he cosmopolis in which he Cosmic Race would be ealised.
144
6. The Poli ical Rehabili a ion o Mousike
As al eady poin ed ou , in Vasconcelian e lec ion he e m “ ace” anscends he
gene ic o biological da um, so uni e sal mes izaje as a kind o zoo echnical a i ice does
no sa is y he idea o he Cosmic Race. Ins ead, as shown abo e, i can essen ially be
in e p e ed in wo ways. Fi s ly, as a « loa ing signi ie », as an a emp a a o al libe a ion
o he signi ie om he meaning o ien ed owa ds a de-cons uc ion o language, on he
one hand incapable o de ini i ely idding i sel o he posi i is heo e ical “ - ace”, bu
on he o he hand de o ed o he en husiasm o he sign ebelling agains i sel o become
«ex a-discu si e», pu e exp ession. Secondly, as a li e a y expe imen ha p oposes o
ac a a p e-linguis ic le el h ough he ans igu ing powe o he imagina ion, by means
o images ha we could de ine as “pe o ma i e” and he me hod o isualisa ion o
“men al cinema” o achie e a so o “ hy hmic con agion”.
Bu The Cosmic Race con on s us i s and o emos wi h a poli ical ques ion ha b ings
o ligh an ancien and ho ny p oblem. As poin ed ou , he e lec ion on he «mission
o he Ibe o Ame ican ace» does no only pose us a p oblem o e hnic assimila ion, bu
i s and o emos a poli ical one ha is no loca ed exclusi ely in he ho izon o an i-
Ame icanism and a pos -colonial and iden i y ede ini ion, bu , mo e deeply, in a c i ique
o Ra ionalism unde s ood as he s igma o he Wes , since he Ra io would be de ined
his o ically in he exclusion o he pa hic componen o hough . The p edominan ole
ha sigh plays in he Wes agains he audi o y sys em should be unde s ood in his
pe spec i e. This con as is explained on he basis o a bina y logic, i.e. he equi alence
o sigh -logos: hea ing-pa hos, and has p ecise poli ical easons. As explained abo e
abou he seman ic shi ha he no ion o hy hm would ha e unde gone, wi h Pla o
we wi ness a dep i a ion o he «powe o enchan men » o he mousike, which alls
de ini i ely unde he dominion o he logos and, as A end poin ed ou , a he ounda ion
o he ideocen ic c i e ion o poli ics37. The mousike, in ac , which, inso a as i is
capable o ans o ming men’s souls is in dange o escaping paideia and poli ical con ol,
as Pla o well knows, mus be egula ed, i.e. subjec ed o he law o numbe and ha mony,
o banished.
I s ehabili a ion in a philosophical and poli ical ho izon, which he aes he ic
in e p e a ion o Py hago eanism legi imises, he e o e, b ings o ligh an old p oblem. I ,
on he one hand, he no ion o hy hm seeks o in alida e he no ma i e, iden i ying and
subjuga ing powe o numbe and o an en i e adi ion buil on i , summa ising h ough
i he he e ogeneous cha ac e o he eal, he alue o he dissimila , o o he ness and
37. Ca a e o, A. (2005). The Ha mony o he Sphe es; o , The Poli ical Con ol o Mousike. In
Id., Fo mo e han one oice: owa d a Philosophy o Vocal Exp ession. T ansla ed and wi h an
In oduc ion by Paul A. Ko man. S an o d Uni e si y P ess: pp. 152-161, p. 156.
145
o exis ence, on he o he hand, i seems o show once again he dange s inhe en in he
ee un olding o i s po en ial. In he 1920s, when he was a he heigh o his poli ical and
cul u al li e, Vasconcelos cons uc ed no only a philosophical sys em bu also an en i e
poli ical p og amme based on he no ions he had highligh ed, which is e lec ed in he
eo ganisa ion o he Fine A s and he cen al ole assigned o music. A he apex o hese
e o ms is he in oduc ion o he Fes i ales del Ai e Lib e, e i able ini ia ion ce emonies
designed o c ea e an upwa d mo emen in he soul o he people, a ca ha sis in he
A is o elian sense, in which hy hm e eals i s mime ic and e en iden i ying po en ial.
Th ough he “pa icipa o y” dimension o he i e, as Nie zsche obse ed, one abandons
he p incipio indi idua ionis and he language ha de e mines i . Wi h i , one eg esses o
he o iginal i al agg ega ion; i is he «deli ium as knowledge o he Dionysian eas »38.
A ew yea s la e , he wo ld would wi ness unp eceden ed phenomena o mass and
iden i ica ion wi h he leade , he e e -iden ical hy hm o mili a y ma ches, men
educed o numbe s, bu also he h ill o uniqueness and de-indi idualisa ion. Al hough
Vasconcelos appea s o be awa e o his o some ex en , as he does no limi himsel
o using he e m hy hm bu uses o he no ions o musical de i a ion ha would like
o p ese e he he e ogeneous na u e o he eal, his posi ions do no seem o be able
o a oid he isks a ached o i . Beyond he speci ic limi s o Vasconcelian e lec ion,
his impossibili y is pe haps due o he equi alence, in some ways unjus i ied, be ween
“ hy hm” and “i a ional” on he one hand, and he opposi ion be ween “ hy hm” and
“symbol” on he o he .
Rega ding his las aspec , hy hm belongs o he p e-linguis ic sphe e and, he e o e,
p e-symbolic. In his sense, as Vasconcelos obse es, he shi om he in es iga ion o
hy hm o ha o numbe would ha e occu ed because o a po e y o impossibili y o
language. O a und o inexp essibili y ha he expe ience o hy hm e eals. Rhy hm,
as K is e a analyses, p ecisely conce ns his sphe e, i conce ns he child and i s i s
eme gence as a subjec (i s p ocess o subjec i ica ion, o cons i u ion o he subjec ), bu
on his side o he sphe e o signi ica ion. I conce ns he sphe e o d i e, i is he «semio ic
cho a»39 in which he in an mo es be o e he di e en ia ion o bodies, be o e ha ing a
body p ope . Such a p ocess could occu because hy hm, which Vasconcelos does no
de ine p ecisely bu which is undoub edly p esen ed in he ho izon o i alism as an
“ins inc ual” componen , belongs o a philosophical-cul u al discou se ha cha ac e ises
i om he ou se as associa ed wi h he “na u al” dimension. I s mo e echnical aspec ,
in poe y and as a he o ical ool, is ce ainly he ui o a cul u al p ocess, bu in i s
pe suasi e powe i shows once again ha i s ope a ion consis s in le e aging o g asping
38. Colli, G. (1977). La sapienza g eca, ol. I. Adelphi: p. 28.
39. K is e a, J. (1974). La é olu ion du langage poé ique. Seuil: p. 22.
146
a co e p esumably di o ced om cul u e and conce ning a componen o he human
being ha claims o be ex aneous o i . And ye , he concep o hy hm is decisi ely
conno ed om a cul u al poin o iew, since i is immedia ely in es ed wi h p ecise
alues ha , in ac , de e mine a so o “ a ionalisa ion”.
The i e a ion, iden i y, and iden i ica ion ha hy hm seems o imply only occu s wi hin
he domain o he logos, wi hin i s discou se, i s logic o non-con adic ion and he
dis inc ion be ween “na u e” and “cul u e” ha i es ablishes. I is only by i ue o his
a ionalisa ion ha hy hm eme ges wi h his nega i e, i a ional po en ial, because,
pa adoxically, i is al eady unde s ood concep ually, linguis ically, wi hin he domain
o he logos as de ined in he Wes . I is only om wi hin i ha i shows i s dange ously
“pa hological” cha ac e .
Only in his sense does i h ea en o d ag us ou o e e y symbol, o subme ge us in a
uni e se o desymbolisa ion: hy hm, as obse es Meschonnic, ins alls a « ecep i i y» ha
is inse ed in he absence o he cu en unde s anding, ha o he sign - he a ionali y
o « he iden ical iden i ied wi h eason»40.
The en husiasm placed in he sphe e o hy hm, in i s opposi ion o he symbol and by
i ue o he equi alence be ween “ hy hm” and he “i a ional”, may he e o e imply a
p ocess o “desymbolisa ion” o hough , he ex en o which is pe haps s ill obscu e o us,
bu i does so, pa adoxically, by aking o ex emes a concep ha i i sel has cons uc ed.
I on one hand, he e o e, he no ion o hy hm is o ged by he logos, on he o he hand
i p esen s i sel as a “na u al” componen , ecalling an idea o na u e ha , by i ue o
he same i e a i e s uc u e ha cha ac e izes hy hm, shows i sel o be sel -su icien ,
sel -go e nable. He e hen, as in a so o game o mi o s, hy hm becomes pe haps
he sec e d eam o he symbolic-abs ac hough , i s u opia o emancipa ion om
he media ion o he sign, which in ac no by chance nowadays inds i s maximum
exp ession in i e a ion and in i s sel -diges ing and “sel -su icien ” p ocessuali y in he
algo i hm. In his sense, echnique and na u e a e pe haps no as dis an as hey seem.
In ac , as Benjamin obse ed, while he i s echnique did indeed aim a domina ion
o e na u e, he second is o ien ed owa ds a ha monious in e play be ween na u e and
humani y41. Mode n man, acco ding o Heidegge , has no need o symbols. In him,
e e y hing is educed o an “en i y”. I is he no ion o hy hm, hen, ha imi a es he
sel -p ocessing cha ac e o na u e, imi a ing i om he logos, hus c ea ing a «palaeo-
40. Meschonnic, H. (1982). C i ique du y hme. Ve die : p. 83.
41. Benjamin, W. (2008). The Wo k o A in he Age o I s Technological Rep oducibili y, and
O he W i ings on Media. Ed. by Michael W. Jennings, B igid Dohe y, and Thomas Y. Le in.
T ansla ed by Edmund Jephco , Rodney Li ings one, Howa d Eiland, and O he s. Ha a d
Uni e si y P ess: p. 26.
147

logical» and «palaeo-symbolic» a chi ec u e ha claims o gi e i sel an al e na i e and
ha pe haps only desc ibes he psychosis o he mode n.
In any case, he ques ion o hy hm seems o hide he p oblem o sel -go e nabili y no
only in he e ms jus highligh ed, bu also in a poli ical ho izon. I is no coincidence ha
a he basis o he e lec ion on he Cosmic Race, he e is he idea o a “na u al-ins inc ual”
hy hmic p ocess (in ac , we alk abou aes he ic a ini ies and aes he ic-mys ical e a)
ha would like o a e dange ous impe ialis implica ions. Ba hes e lec s on se e al
occasions bo h on he “exi ” om language, on he s ages ha p ecede o ollow he “ all”
in o he wo ld o signs, which indica e abo e all a lack, a e e ence o, a no being enough
o onesel ; a backg ound, a dep h and a anscendence. In his con ex , he e lec ed on
he u opian des iny o socialism, he phenomenon o «idio hy hmia» and idio hy hmic
communi ies, whose pa adoxical elos was o pe pe ually des oy hemsel es as a g oup,
he ealisa ion o a wo ld wi hou social class and eed om he language, because om
he momen he e is language, om he momen he e is enuncia ion, he e is s aging,
pu ing in “place”, place, and powe . Hence he link be ween au a cheia, hy hm and
powe 42. Sugges ing howe e , a he same ime, a di e en way o unde s anding he
subjec and he poli ical ques ion s a ing om ha i s meaning o hy hm, y hmos, as
ap o wa d o he isks ela ed o hy hm unde s ood as an i e a i e s uc u e and as a
mime ic pa adigm.
The e o e, in conclusion, e en in he abysmal di e ence and dis ance ha sepa a es us
om he ex unde examina ion he e, i is in e es ing o e ead The Cosmic Race om
his pe spec i e one hund ed yea s a e i s publica ion, o ind many esonances be ween
hose 1920s and ou own, and o iden i y some un esol ed ques ions ha a e s ill o
g ea impo ance in he wake o he mime ic u n, o e- u n: wha has happened o he
ancien no ion o y hmos? Is i an “an i-mime ic” concep ? Is i possible o eco e i in
i s mos au hen ic sense, in i s being i s and o emos a «dis inc i e o m» and «spa ial
con igu a ion»? In i s p omise, nei he u opian no dys opian, bu pe haps cons i u i ely
“he e o opic”?
These a e undoub edly conside a ions and ques ions ha go well beyond he objec i es o
he Vasconcelian heo e ical amewo k and, ne e heless, pe haps no beyond i s deepes
ins ances, no beyond he ques ions ha hese new pa hs o mimesis in pos colonial
Mexico aises and claims. Ques ions, in he end, ha can be aced back o he possibili y
o hinking di e en ly and a oiding on se e al le els (philosophical, poli ical, social, and
cul u al) dange ous implica ions o he logos as i has de ined i sel his o ically.
42. Ba hes, R. (2002). Commen i e ensemble. Cou s au Collège de F ance 1976-1977. Seuil.
148
REFERENCES
A is o ele (2010). Me a isica. Edi ed by C.A. Viano, To ino: UTET.
Ba hes, Roland (2002). Commen i e ensemble. Cou s au Collège de F ance 1976-1977.
Pa is: Seuil.
Benjamin, Wal e (2008). The Wo k o A in he Age o I s Technological Rep oducibili y,
and O he W i ings on Media. Ed. by Michael W. Jennings, B igid Dohe y, and Thomas
Y. Le in. T ansla ed by Edmund Jephco , Rodney Li ings one, Howa d Eiland, and
O he s. Ha a d: Ha a d Uni e si y P ess.
Ben enis e, Emile (1966). La no ion de y hme dans son exp ession linguis ique. In
P oblèmes de linguis ique géné ale, 327-335. Pa is: Gallima d.
Bucke, Richa d Mau ice (2010). Cosmic Consciousness: A S udy in he E olu ion o he
Human Mind. Eas o d: Ma ino Publishing.
Cal ino, I alo (2020). Lezioni ame icane. Milano: Mondado i.
Ca a e o, Ad iana (2005). The Ha mony o he Sphe es; o , The Poli ical Con ol o Mousike,
In Fo mo e han one oice: owa d a Philosophy o Vocal Exp ession, T ansla ed and wi h
an In oduc ion by Paul A. Ko man, 152-161. S an o d: S an o d Uni e si y P ess.
Ce ani, Giulia (2003). Il senso del i mo. Roma: Mel emi.
Come a, Michele (2011). La sc i u a delle immagini. Le e a u a e cul u a isuale. Milano.
Ra aello Co ina.
Colli, Gio gio (1977). La sapienza g eca, ol. I, Milano: Adelphi.
Ea le, Pe e G. (1982). U opía, Uni e sópolis, Macondo, Hispanic Re iew, 50, 2: 143-157.
Fell, Claude (1989). José Vasconcelos: los años del águila (1920-1925). Educación, cul u a
e ibe oame icanismo en el México pos e oluciona io. México: UNAM.
Foucaul , Michel (2006). U opie. E e o opie. T ansla ed by A. Mosca i. Napoli: C onopio.
Ga elli, Jacques (1991). Ry hmes e mondes: au e e s de l’iden i é e de l’al é i é. G enoble:
Edi ions Jé ôme Millon.
Giugliano, An onello (2017). Imago – imi ago. No e iloso iche sullo s a us s o ico e
me a isico del conce o di immagine (Wa bu g, Benjamin, Heidegge , Nancy), A chi io di
s o ia della cul u a, XXX: 171-208.
Hall, S ua (2021). Selec ed w i ings on Race and Di e ence. Edi ed by P. Gil oy and R.W.
Gilmo e. Du ham and London: Duke Uni e si y P ess.
149
Homi Bhabha, K. (1994). O Mimic y and Man: The Ambi alence o Colonial Discou se,
in Id., The Loca ion o Cul u e. London: Rou ledge: pp. 85-92.
K is e a, Julia (1974). La é olu ion du langage poé ique. Pa is: Seuil.
K is e a, Julia (1976), Con ain es y hmiques e langage poé ique, in Analyse du discou s.
Edi ed by P. Leon and F. Mi e and, Mon éal.
Law oo, Nidesh (2013). The Phan om o he Ego: Mode nism and he Mime ic Unconscious.
Eas Lansing: Michigan S a e Uni e si y P ess.
Law oo, Nidesh (2016). Con ad’s Shadow. Ca as ophe, Mimesis, Theo y. Eas Lansing:
Michigan S a e Uni e si y P ess.
Law oo, Nidesh (2017). The Plas ici y o Mimesis, MLN, 132 (5): 1201–24.
Law oo, Nidesh (2022). The Mime ic Condi ion: Theo y and Concep s, Coun e Tex 8.1:
1-22.
Law oo, Nidesh (2019). The Mime ic Unconscious: A Mi o o Genealogical Re lec ions.
Imi a ion, Sugges ion, Con agion: Re hinking he Social. Edi ed by Ch is ian Bo ch. New
Yo k: Rou ledge, 37-53.
Law oo, Nidesh (2022). Homo Mime icus. A new heo y o imi a ion. Leu en: Leu en
Uni e si y P ess.
Le eb e, Hen i (1976). La p oduzione dello spazio. T ansla ed by M. Galle i. Milano:
Moizzi.
Loyola, Ignacio de (2015). Eje cicios espi i uales. Passe ino.
Meschonnic, Hen i (1982). C i ique du y hme. Pa is: Ve die .
Mo eau, Pie e-F ançois. (1982). Le éci u opique. D oi na u al e oman de l’É a . Pa -
is: P.U.F.
Nie zsche, F ied ich (1997). Dayb eak. Though s on he P ejudices o Mo ali y. Edi ed by
M. Cla k and B. Lei e . Camb idge: Camb idge Uni e si y P ess.
Nie zsche, F ied ich (2003). La nasci a della agedia. Edi ed by G. Colli and M. Mon ina i.
Milano: Adelphi.
Nancy, Jean-Luc (2016). The Image: Mimesis and Me hexis. In Id., Nancy and Visual
Cul u e. Edi ed by C. Giun a and A. Janus. Edinbu gh: Edinbu gh Uni e si y P ess.
Nancy Jean-Luc and Law oo Nidesh (2022), The Coun e Tex In e iew: Jean-Luc Nancy.
Mimesis: A Singula -Plu al Concep . Coun e Tex (8.1), 23-45.
150
Pla one (1979). Simposio. Edi ed by G. Colli. Milano: Adelphi.
Pla one (2000). Filebo. Edi ed by M. Miglio i. Milano: Bompiani.
Pla one (2005). Le leggi. T ansla ed by F. Fe a i and S. Poli. Milano: BUR.
Pla one (2010). Fed o. Edi ed by R. Vela di, Milano: BUR.
Schele , Max (2017). The Na u e o Sympa hy. T ansla ed by Pe e Hea h, wi h an
in oduc ion by We ne S a k, and a new in oduc ion by G aham McAlee . London &
New Yo k: Rou ledge.
Reid Mille , J. (2017). S ain Remo al. E hics and Race. New Yo k: Ox o d Uni e si y P ess.
Rouge , Gilbe (1980). La Musique e la anse. Esquisse d’une héo ie géné ale des
ela ions de la musique e de la possession. Pa is: Gallima d.
Sini, Ca lo (1992). L’esp essione del p o ondo. Filoso ia, psichia ia e psicoanalisi. Milano:
Lan anchi.
Sini, Ca lo (1993). L’incan o del i mo. Milano: T anchida.
Vasconcelos, José (1957-1961). Ob as Comple as. 4 oll. México: Lib e os Mexicanos
Unidos.
Vasconcelos J. (1959). Es é ica. In Id., Ob as comple as, ol. III. México: Lib e os
Mexicanos Unidos.
Vasconcelos, José (1959). Pi ágo as. Una eo ía del i mo. In Id., Ob as Comple as, ol. III.
México: Lib e os Mexicanos Unidos.
Vasconcelos, José (1961). Monismo es é ico. In Id., Ob as Comple as, ol. IV. México:
Lib e os Mexicanos Unidos.
Vasconcelos, José (1997). The Cosmic Race: a bilingual edi ion, T ansla ed, wi h an
in oduc ion, by Didie T. Jaén, A e wo k by Joseba Gabilondo. Bal imo e: The Johns
Hopkins Uni e si y P ess.
Vasconcelos, José (2014). Pi ágo as. Una eo ía del i mo. Lexing on: Uni e si y o
Michigan Lib a y.
151