Mito, símbolo y arquetipo en los proceso de formación de la identidad colectiva e individual

Abstract

In this article, the author analyzes through two theoretical journeys the ways in which myths and archetypal symbols define the identity making processes. The first of such journeys refers to myths as the material substance providing sense to the representations that constitute the origin of collective and individual identity. The second embarks on a description of the social practices through which myth shapes the substance of the social processes and institutions creating and spreading the notions of identity. The author pauses, specifically, to explain the concept of symbol, archetype and myth, especially the latter as a foundational substrate of identity. In same fashion, he studies the ontological, moral, social and political dimensions of the myth as makers of a collective identity.