Postcolonial Politics

The learned editors of this new four-volume collection from Routledge argue that—at its core—postcolonialism makes two substantial claims, with corresponding research agendas and political implications. First, that the emergence and functioning of the modern world cannot be truly understood and explained as if it originated in Europe and was then ‘exported’ to the non-West; such Eurocentric accounts must be interrogated and challenged. Second, that since the humanities and social sciences developed in Europe, as an attempt to make sense of Western developments, the analytical tools and disciplinary formations by which we seek to explain and represent the world also need to be critically questioned, and where necessary, rethought.

This timely new collection from Routledge’s Critical Concepts in Political Science series enables users to comprehend the scope and ambition of these claims, and to make sense of the dizzying diversity of texts, generated across different continents and in different languages, and spanning numerous fields of intellectual and literary endeavour, that constitute the formative and central works of Postcolonial Politics. The four volumes that make up the collection are edited by the directors of the Centre for Postcolonial Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London, and unite the expertise of three distinguished scholars who have produced a unique ‘mini library’ that is as diverse as its subject matter. Postcolonial Politics brings together foundational and cutting-edge essays and journal articles, and it draws on sources from Africa, Latin America, and Asia, as well as those in the Western world, including some newly translated pieces.

Fully indexed and with new introductions to each volume, this collection will be welcomed by scholars, other researchers, and advanced students as an indispensable reference and pedagogic resource.