Sociedad, política y des/colonialidad del poder: Global Coloniality in the “Asian Century”

lunes, 4 de junio de 2012

Global Coloniality in the “Asian Century”

Workshop Information

One of the most enduring myths of the 20th century is that the dissolution of colonial administrations has resulted in decolonization on a global scale. This belief has led to yet another myth—that of a “postcolonial world.” In spite of the fact that numerous colonial administrations have disappeared, dominant colonial forms remain, forms which were produced by cultures and structures within the modern/colonial capitalist world-system. In short, colonialism may have ended but not coloniality. Based on this, an emerging trend within Social Sciences and Humanities research has been a shift away from the analysis of global colonialism to global coloniality, which allows an understanding of “colonial situations” and “coloniality without colonies” in the present era.

Appearing in tandem with the staggering growth of the Asian economies are numerous contemporary discourses about the “Asian Century.” However, this "Asian Century" should be understood as "the return" rather than "the rise" of Asia. At the same time, it is vital to note that this "return" should not be viewed as Asia now replacing 20th century Western forms of hegemony. It is not a race for control, but rather a move towards a more balanced world that is no longer based on unilateral decisions with immediately negative consequences for percentages of the population. Rethinking global coloniality within the looming “Asian Century” is both challenging and necessary, as it allows re-conceptions of the past in our present and the implementation of global futures beyond coloniality.