Anticolonialism and Social Thought

Not only did the anticolonial movements of the past two centuries help bring down the global order of colonial empires, they also produced novel, innovative and vital social thought. Anticolonialism has been largely ignored in conventional Europe-centered social thought and theory, but this book shows how our sociological imagination can be expanded by taking challenges to colonialism and imperialism seriously. Amidst their struggles to change the world, anticolonial actors offer devastating critiques of it, challenging the racism, economic exploitation, political exclusions and social inequalities central to imperialism and colonialism. Anticolonial thinkers and activists thereby seek to understand the world they are struggling against and, in the process, develop new concepts and theorize the world in new ways. Chapters by leading scholars help uncover this dissident tradition of social thought as the authors discuss an array of anticolonial thinkers, activists and movements from Palestine, India, South Africa, Brazil, Algeria and beyond.

• Illustrates how different anticolonial thinkers, activists and movements from around the world have generated important insights into society
• Discusses thinkers and theories that offer expanded perspectives on society beyond the Eurocentric sociological cano
• Covers a variety of topics including: anticolonial revolution; the maladies of colonized societies; human liberation; the meaning of sovereignty; the nature of global social order; social change; economic development; and the role of intellectuals in society