Colonialism

The Idea of Development in Africa

The Idea of Development in Africa

Taking its cue from another book, The Idea of Africa, this book presents the idea of the idea of development with a focus on Africa – its emergence, meanings, and connotations – and how its conceptualization is deeply rooted in colonialism. “The Idea of Development: A History” (2021) is written by Corrie Decker and Elisabeth McMahon, […]

Tags: #Africa #Colonialism #Development #History #The idea of development

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Imperialism, Sovereignty and the Making of International Law

Imperialism, Sovereignty and the Making of International Law

Antony Anghie opened a new direction in the study of international law with his book “Imperialism, Sovereignty and the Making of International Law” (2005), published by Cambridge. The book is a significant contribution (nearly 5,000 citations as of this writing, not including the citations to the papers that are included in the book). This highly […]

Tags: #Antony Anghie #Colonialism #Emperialism #International Law #sovereignty

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Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh

A trip to Vietnam brought the occasion to remember that I had Walden Bello’s “Ho Chi Minh: Down With Colonialism” (2007) on the shelf. The book is a collection of speeches and writings of Ho Chi Minh, with an introduction by Walden Bello. The Vietnamese revolutionary leader died in 1969, having fought the French, Japanese […]

Tags: #Anti-colonial struggle #Colonialism #Equality #Ho Chi Minh #Imperialism #Revolution #Struggle #Vietnam

Thought Provokers
Imagining Afghanistan

Imagining Afghanistan

Quite a number of books have followed in the tradition of Edward Said, critiquing and contesting the manufacturing of narratives. Nivi Manchanda’s “Imagining Afghanistan” The History and Politics of Imperial Knowledge” (2020) provides a deep dive into those narratives of Afghanistan. Chapters of the book explore the use of “tribe” and “tribalism”, the colonial construction […]

Tags: #Afghanistan #Colonial #Colonialism #History #Manufactured consent

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Colonial Effects

Colonial Effects

Emerging out of a PhD study, Joseph A. Massad published “Colonial Effects: The Making of National Identity in Jordan” (2001). This is a fascinating book, which should be more widely read. Although it focuses on Jordan, there are insights for research on nationality, nationalism, colonialism, decolonization, and identity, in additional to Middle Eastern studies. Some […]

Tags: #Colonialism #Identity #Jordan #Nationalism #Nationality

Thought Provokers
The New Age of Empire

The New Age of Empire

Kehinde Andrews’ 2021 book “The New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World” was celebrated by many (Kimberle Crenshaw, Russel Brand, Ibram X Kendi, and a host of book reviewers) and critiqued by a few (book reviewers). The author is the first professor of Black Studies in the UK. I assume […]

Tags: #Colonialism #Kehinde Andrew #Racism #The New Age of Empire #White Supremacy

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Samora Machel

Samora Machel

Ohio University Press has a series of “Short Histories of Africa”. I recently decided to pick up most of the collection for potential use as reading materials for classes. This post covers “Mozambique’s Samora Machel: A Life Cut Short” (2020), by Allen Isaacman and Barbara Isaacman. Like the books on Nkrumah and Cabral, this one […]

Tags: #Colonialism #Isaacman #Mozambique #Samora Machel #solidarity

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Kwame Nkrumah

Kwame Nkrumah

Ohio University Press has a series of “Short Histories of Africa”. I recently decided to pick up most of the collection for potential use as reading materials for classes. This post covers “Kwame Nkrumah: Visions of Liberation” (2021), by Jeffrey S. Ahlman. The book is contextualized beyond biographical detail, with details of the events occurring […]

Tags: #Colonialism #Ghana #Kwame Nkrumah #Liberation #Self-determination

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The Myth of Arab Piracy in the Gulf

The Myth of Arab Piracy in the Gulf

In reading books on Qatar (see this section for the list), many of the criticisms I have made of contemporary scholarship is a continuation of colonial attitudes and perspectives. On that note, I was glad to come across the gem of a book, “The Myth of Arab Piracy in the Gulf” (1986), by Sultan Muhammad […]

Tags: #Al-Qasimi #Colonialism #Gulf #History #Myth of Arab Piracy

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Loss and Recovery of Self Under Colonialism

Loss and Recovery of Self Under Colonialism

Ashis Nandy’s “The Intimate Enemy: Loss and Recovery of Self Under Colonialism” (1983) is a classic postcolonial text from the Asian experience. One note I found fascinating was that this author found inspiration in the writings of African revolutionaries, finding little from what he was reading from the region he lived within. Through this we […]

Tags: #Ashis Nandy #Colonialism #Colonization #Conformity #Dissent

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