Postcolonizing the International: Working to Change the Way We Are (Writing Past Colonialism)

Postcolonizing the International brings postcolonialism directly into engagement with contemporary international studies, while at the same time reflecting back on the discourse, noting certain blind spots and shortcomings in critique. Reversing the established agenda, it begins with the position of non-European societies and the legacies of colonialism. Two companion essays on knowledge formations about the international and the changing nature of the political are followed by challenging reinterpretations of contemporary global politics focusing on race, skewed development, cultural difference, and everyday life. Individual chapters speak to the significance of consumption and commodification, the need for re-directing Western development strategies, initiatives of the Tibetan cabinet in exile, and sexuality as metaphor.In addition to essays, this tightly integrated collection features interviews with Ashis Nandy, one of India’s foremost public intellectuals, and Aboriginal rights activist Marcia Langton, plus short stories and poetry by Sekai Nzenza and Nabaneeta Dev Sen. Postcolonizing the International brings post-colonialism directly into engagement with contemporary international studies, while at the same time reflecting back on the discourse, noting certain blindspots and shortcomings in critique. Reversing the established agenda, it begins with the position of non-European societies and the legacies of colonialism. Two companion essays on knowledge formations about the international and the changing nature of the political are followed by challenging reinterpretations of contemporary global politics focusing on race, skewed development, cultural difference, and everyday life. Individual chapters speak to the significance of consumption and commodification, the need for redirecting Western development stategies, initiatives of the Tibetan cabinet in exile, and sexuality as metaphor. Contributors: Phillip Darby, Paul James, Gabriel Lafitte, Marcia Langton, Ashis Nandy, Edgar Ng, Sekai Nzenza, Simon Obendorf, Nabaneeta Dev Sen. Ch. 1. Reworking Knowledge Conventions / Phillip Darby -- Ch. 2. African Laughter / Sekai Nzenza -- Ch. 3. Rethinking The Political / Phillip Darby -- Ch. 4. Globalizing Life-worlds, Consuming Capitalism / Paul James And Andrew Scerri -- Ch. 5. The Darker Side Of Modernity / Ashis Nandy And Phillip Darby -- Ch. 6. Doing Development Differently / Edgar Ng -- Ch. 7. African Grief / Sekai Nzenza -- Ch. 8. Transforming Tibet From Afar : The Writing Of Guidelines For Global Development Agencies Intervening In Tibet / Gabriel Lafitte -- Ch. 9. Sodomy As Metaphor / Simon Obendorf -- Ch. 10. Two Selections / Nabaneeta Dev Sen -- Ch. 11. The Changing Complexions Of Race / Marcia Langton And Phillip Darby. Edited By Phillip Darby. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Brings post-colonialism into engagement with contemporary international studies, while at the same time reflecting on the discourse, noting certain blindspots and shortcomings in critique. This book begins with the position of non-European societies and the legacies of colonialism. It includes two essays on knowledge formations.