The rhetoric of decolonization, defunding, divestment, deconstruction, and decarbonization can take us only so far. If there is something missing from collective action today, it is concepts that place a greater emphasis on exploration, discovery, and the constructive potential of human agency.
NEW YORK – A couple of months ago, the Open Society Foundations hosted a roundtable discussion entitled “Who’s Afraid (and Should They Be) of Decolonization?” The panel centered on one of the most contested concepts in contemporary political and academic debates: decolonization. The event did not disappoint. Ultimately, all agreed that the notion of decolonization remains as relevant and as divisive as ever. But the panel left a bittersweet aftertaste, and a gnawing question: Are we ever going to be able to talk about colonization again?
NEW YORK – A couple of months ago, the Open Society Foundations hosted a roundtable discussion entitled “Who’s Afraid (and Should They Be) of Decolonization?” The panel centered on one of the most contested concepts in contemporary political and academic debates: decolonization. The event did not disappoint. Ultimately, all agreed that the notion of decolonization remains as relevant and as divisive as ever. But the panel left a bittersweet aftertaste, and a gnawing question: Are we ever going to be able to talk about colonization again?