The near and the far

In this work, sociologist and anthropologist Roger Bastide, a leading figure in Brazil and France, addresses several fundamental themes for the humanities, such as colonization, decolonization, racism, and religion, and seeks to understand the place occupied by the “other” in the encounter between peoples.

Contact between different peoples dates back to prehistoric times, with great migrations, trade, wars of domination, and so on. Despite this, individuals tend to prefer to root themselves in a land, rather than remain entrenched within a home, differentiating between "their own" and "others"—the latter often treated as foreigners, barbarians, beings who provoke fear and isolation, due to physical differences or differences in customs. Throughout human history, we have noted a progressive rapprochement between peoples. With technological advances in transportation and communication in recent centuries, the distance between different cultures has narrowed. And, by increasingly occupying the same public and private spaces, we might expect greater fraternity and global unity among distinct peoples. However, contact with others is often permeated by a closed-minded mentality, fueled by our prejudices, our ignorance, and our inability to set aside the desire for domination and hegemony.

The Near and the Far brings together articles, conferences, and courses produced between 1950 and 1965, to which the author adds two original chapters and some connecting texts. The book revolves around the concept of acculturation, which Bastide associates with the "interpenetration of civilizations." He analyzes what happens when people encounter others of different cultures, when their "neighbor" is also a "faraway." The first part of the book addresses the "encounter of men," where racial prejudice plays a role. It then addresses the "encounter of civilizations," with the different subsequent forms of acculturation. And finally, it delves into the "encounter of religions," with the emergence of messianism and nationalism.

The Near and the Far is a beautiful anti-racist book, without angelism and surprisingly current, which also allows us to reflect on the moment in which we live: a meeting of civilizations, with the “near” presence, now realized, of the once “distant” African and Asian peoples.