I wish to thank those whose conversation and critical thought have sustained the tension of this work: Ramón Grosfoguel, Enrique Dussel and his students at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) and at the UNAM, Santiago Castro-Gómez at the Javeriana in Colombia, Hernando Estevez, Jason Winfree, Gino Vallega, Marcelo Caracoche, Michael Stern, Cristian Amigo, Jesus Sepúl- veda, Claudia Baracchi, Françoise Dastur, David Krell, James Risser, John Sallis, Jerry Sallis, and Charles Scott. I should thank Ofelia Schutte. Omar Rivera’s read- ing of the manuscript in its final stages made for a much stronger book. Kira Bennett Hamilton’s detailed editing added sharpness and clarity. I should also mention the past years’ presentations and discussions at the Collegium Phänom- enologicum in Cittá di Castello, Italy, and at the Center for Study and Investiga- tion for Global Dialogues’ Decolonial Summer School in Tarragona and Barce- lona, Spain. This book owes much to Daniela Vallega-Neu’s critical and patient discussion throughout its composition in its various parts, as well as to her close reading of the final manuscript and her insightful and always clarifying com- ments and corrections.