Abt. Geschichtswissenschaft

"Perverse Decolonisation?" by Ekaterina Degot, David Riff, and Jan Sowa (2021) - Book recommendation by Alexandra Kolesnik

The volume offers a compelling reflection on a central paradox of our time: while the language of decolonization has become increasingly visible in public discourse, it is also being appropriated by authoritarian and exclusionary regimes. Rather than leading to emancipation, decolonial rhetoric is often redirected toward new forms of nationalism, cultural essentialism, and political control. The concept of “perverse decolonization” captures this ambivalence, highlighting how emancipatory vocabularies can be instrumentalized from above, while also remaining open to tactical and critical reinterpretations from below. Bringing together essays, discussions, and artistic perspectives developed across multiple international contexts, the book provides a nuanced and self-reflexive framework for understanding how decolonization operates—and is contested—within today’s global cultural landscape.

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