Osama Yamani

The Narrative of Superiority..

The article was published on July 24, 2026, and last updated on the same date.

The article addresses the phenomenon of Western cultural hegemony and its impact on the identity of Global South societies.

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The article asks whether the Third World - or developing countries - suffers from an inferiority complex due to a Western narrative that claims Western superiority and the backwardness of others. It asserts that this narrative has permeated every aspect of life, transcending identity, language, and local knowledge systems.

Identity in Latin American countries has a complex fabric, the product of continuous struggle and interaction between multiple elements. The myth of "Mestizaje" in the twentieth century, promoted by elites, is based on the idea of a "cosmic race" as a symbol of unity. In reality, it erases indigenous and African identities in favor of a unified "European" model, and justifies racial discrimination under the slogan of "racial democracy." Identity in Latin American countries still suffers even after what was known as "Mestizaje" in the late 1980s, when ethnic and cultural diversity was officially recognized. But even with this change, racial hierarchy persists.

In short, it is a "kaleidoscopic" (changing) identity living in a state of constant tension between forced mixing, integration, and the search for recognition of a difference long marginalized.

In Africa, European colonizers - especially the French and Belgians - worked to erase local history and rewrite it to make its beginning coincide with their arrival. African societies were portrayed as primitive tribes without state or civilization, ignoring great kingdoms such as Ghana, Mali, Songhai, and the Kongo Kingdom.

The narrative of "Western superiority" is not an illusion, but a renewed colonial discourse. "Third World" societies live under the impact of a discourse accumulated over centuries of hegemony. But the problem is not in acknowledging real developmental gaps - that is reality - but in placing these gaps within a moral narrative; that is, transforming backwardness from a historical condition (a product of plunder and colonialism) into an "essence" or "psychological complex." Herein lies the trick: Western modernity becomes a universal standard, and any deviation from it becomes a disease requiring "cure" through blind imitation. Colonialism not only plundered resources, but also destroyed local knowledge systems and replaced them with others that efface the self.

The most dangerous thing is that the inferiority complex turns into self-imprisonment, leading to colonization of the mind. Third World societies suffer from epistemic dependency, manifested in importing social and political theories from other contexts and applying them wholesale. Acknowledging this internalization is not surrender but the beginning of liberation.

What is required is not outright rejection of the West nor imitation, but demystifying it, by deconstructing its discourse as a historical product, not an absolute truth, and building local knowledge that stems from the concerns of Southern societies themselves. Restoring identity is not about romanticizing the past, but reading it critically, and drawing hybrid solutions befitting the complex reality.

The complex is real, but it is not fate; it is a historical product of hegemony, not an eternal essence. Liberation begins with deconstructing the internalization of Western discourse, and building local knowledge that emanates from our own concerns, not from its mirror. The final battle is the liberation of the imagination, so that the world ceases to be one-dimensional and becomes a space for multiplicity and creativity. Beauty lies in diversity, multiplicity, and colors that make the image full of details.

The article shows that the Western narrative still influences the formation of identity and knowledge in the Third World, transforming historical backwardness into a psychological complex. It emphasizes that true liberation begins with deconstructing this narrative and building local knowledge that stems from the concerns of those societies themselves. The importance of this thesis is highlighted in light of the continued intellectual and economic dependency, where identity revival movements in Latin America and Africa can be seen as indicators of attempts to overcome this complex. The article calls for the liberation of the imagination to achieve genuine diversity in the global landscape.