History and Representation: a methodological approach from Castoriadis, Benjamin and Foucault’ s thought towards the political field

Abstract

This paper aims to put in discussion the perspective of three authors around the same problem: how to analyze the story and how «bring to the present» historical and social events. The concept of «history» comes from the Greek union of «histor» -sage, scholar, judge (to the Indo-European «widtor»: scholar, who sees) - e «ia» -activity, practice, craft-. That is, this would be an activity which implies searching, observation and investigation. But, what methodological framework take to carry out this practice? From which place develop a position to look, to evaluate and to re-present past events? Starting from «Theses on the Philosophy of History» of Walter Benjamin, in one of he states that «articulate historically the past does not mean knowing “as it has truly been"» but it´s means «seize a memory as it flashes in a moment of danger», it will try to recover the discussion that Castoriadis proposes around the ensemblistic-identitarian logic that premium as epistemological and methodological model of approach and re-construction of the past, making a parallel with Foucault´s archaeological proposal. To do so, will be important to return representation´s concept because in all that «appears» and under «the way» in which «appears» mediation representative is participating.