This epistemological essay aims to inform about contributions of postcolonial and decolonial criticisms to the contextualization of the concept of culture in Epidemiology. The postcolonial, based on the questioning of the British imperialism, and the decolonial thought, of Latin American origin, reveal the persistence of coloniality in culture and science. Culture with its symbolic dimension encompassing diverse meanings ranging from conservation to change and creating hierarchies that favor oppression is a polysemic concept with interdisciplinary motion since Anthropology studies. The text outlines the perspective and shape of the gaze, emphasizing the essay format: the concept of culture is presented; the relation between post- and decolonial thought and culture are indicated as relevant to epidemiology; the use of the concept is approached in the interdisciplinarity between Anthropology and Epidemiology, reviewing proposals close to the reflection on colonization; and the potential contributions in epistemic appreciation on Epidemiology and the concept of culture are summarized. Colonizing ties as the sense of domination of nature, subordination to Western biomedicine, the use of classifications and variables forged according to binarized hierarchization and oppositions, and the disregard of popular knowledge can be exposed by postcolonial and decolonial criticisms in the bases of Collective Health, and especially in hegemonic theoretical-conceptual epidemiological ordering formulated according to cultural patterns foreign to local realities. Postcolonial and decolonial criticisms can reveal the presence of scientific and cultural racism concealed in Epidemiology.
Keywords:
Culture; Epistemology; Antropology