According to the "voluntary servitude" concept, elaborated by Etienne De La Boétie in the 16th century, this paper intends to examine subjectivity nowadays. The "voluntary servitude" concept, and the paradoxes it implies, has turned out to be quite productive and up to date in order to think of the live movement of both subject alienation and separation, particularly in the Brazilian society which has just turned five hundred years old.
voluntary servitude; master's discourse; unit trace; ego ideal