decolonization

Decolonization and the Decolonized

Decolonization and the Decolonized

Albert Memmi is well known for his book The Colonizer and The Colonized (1957). As a kind of follow-on “Decolonization and the Decolonized” (2004 French, 2006 translation), I had high expectations for this book (and had not having read the reviews). After reading the book, and now having looked at reader reviews and comments, I […]

Tags: #Albert Memmi #decolonization #Decolonized

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Discourse on Colonialism

Discourse on Colonialism

Aime Cesaire is one of the great voices of the anti-colonial struggle and was the teacher of Fanon (Black Skin, White Masks & The Wretched of the Earth). Cesaire’s “Discourse on Colonialism” was originally published in French in 1950, the English version I am using was translated in 1972 and republished in 2000. For the […]

Tags: #Aime Cesaire #Capitalism #Colonization #decolonization #Discourse on Colonialism

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Reading that should be more common…

Reading that should be more common…

Ibn Khaldun (2015 translation, 1377 original) Al Muqaddimah Cesaire, A. (1950) Discourse on Colonialism Fanon, F. (1952) Black Skin, White Masks Fanon, F. (1959) A Dying Colonialism Baldwin, J. (1962) The Fire Next Time Fanon, F. (1963) The Wretched of the Earth Fanon, F. (1964) Toward the African Revolution Memmi, A. (1965) The Colonizer and the […]

Tags: #Alternative Curricula #Books #decolonization #decolonize #Radical Ideas

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Indigenous Pathways of Action and Freedom

Indigenous Pathways of Action and Freedom

Taiaiake Alfred’s “Wasase: Indigenous Pathways of Action and Freedom” (2009) was recommended to me, as I sought out a book (or parts of a book) that might be used to introduce undergraduate students to ethical and justice issues of colonialism in Canada. In some ways, it is similar to Ngugi’s work on decolonizing the mind, […]

Tags: #Colonization #decolonization #Indigenous #Reconciliation #Taiaiake

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Resistance and Decolonization

Resistance and Decolonization

Amilcar Cabral (1924-1973) is one of Africa’s great anti- and de-colonial activists and writers, and led the struggle for the independence of Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde. Another post, on Davidson’s “No Fish is Big Enough to Hide the Sky“, also covers Cabral. This post focuses upon a collection of his ideas in “Resistance and […]

Tags: #Amilcar Cabral #Decolonial #decolonization #Post-colonial #Resistance

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The Black Man’s Burden

The Black Man’s Burden

The role of institutions in development has becoming increasingly important, most notably in the recent works “Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy” (2006) and “Why Nations Fail” (2012). Before these books, Basil Davidson wrote “The Black Man’s Burden: Africa and the Curse of the Nation-State” (1992), which places a large emphasis on the role of […]

Tags: #Basil Davidson #Black Man's Burden #Colonialism #decolonization #Institutions

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No Fist is Big Enough to Hide the Sky

No Fist is Big Enough to Hide the Sky

Decolonization struggles against the Portuguese are often thought about as Angola and Mozambique, far less does one hear about Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde. Basil Davidson brings first-hand experience of that struggle, for which he was praised by none other than Amilcar Cabral himself in the Preface. The book, “No Fist is Big Enough to Hide […]

Tags: #Basil Davidson #Cape Verde #decolonization #Guinea-Bissau #Liberation

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Indigenous Research Methodologies

Indigenous Research Methodologies

A number of past posts presented books on decolonization – Fanon on struggles, Ngugi on language, and Smith on methodologies. How might a grounding in decolonization shape research? Margaret Kovach addresses this question in “Indigenous Methodologies: Characteristics, Conversations, and Contexts” (2009). In seeking to understand how Indigenous methodologies have been utilized in research, Kovach presents […]

Tags: #decolonization #Indigenous Methodologies #Indigenous Research Methodologies #Methodologies #Reflexivity

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Violence, Justice and Decolonization

Violence, Justice and Decolonization

If you are looking for a tour de force of colonialism, anti-colonization struggle and decolonization, Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth (1961) should be high on the list. Fanon is a unique voice; in style, content and argument. This work has influenced revolutionaries from Palestine to Sri Lanka and South Africa, as well as […]

Tags: #Colonization #decolonization #Frantz Fanon #Justice #Violence

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Decolonizing the Mind

Decolonizing the Mind

Linda Tuhiwai Smith wrote “Decolonizing methodologies” (1999). Ngugi wa Thiong’o wrote “Decolonizing the Mind” (1986). This is essential reading and the insights are numerous – from curricula design and literary critique to social transformation and liberation. In this post I focus on one of Ngugi’s central and influential arguments about the power of language. The […]

Tags: #decolonization #Decolonizing the Mind #Language #Ngugi wa Thiongo #Power

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