Race and Coloniality in Argentina: The Invisibility of Colour

This chapter explores the configuration of race and coloniality in a highly Europeanised social scenario: Argentina. Coloniality and the strategies of decolonization are more often studied in places where indigenous communities are vigorous and robust such as Bolivia or Ecuador. The chapter argues that far from being irrelevant to such debates, the case of Argentina demonstrates an intense deployment of the occidental paradigm and episteme through which racialised others are excluded and made invisible within national identities, discussing both Native Argentines and Afro-Argentines. I argue that Argentina can contribute significant insights into techniques of coloniality through Whitening, and discuss three implications for decolonial politics: the importance of visiblization; the ambiguities of mestizaje; and the need to interrogate Whiteness.