Interrogating Western Modernity: Postcolonial Reflections

• In Event: Indigenous and Postcolonial Political Thought

Abstract

This paper deals with the way in which European modernity, and the West more generally, are reflected upon within the heterogenous field of post- and decolonial theories. Post- and decolonial theorists decidedly question those representations of the European/Western tradition of thought and politics that only focus on their positive aspects; but they differ greatly with regard to the way in which they frame and formulate their critique of this tradition. Against this backdrop, in this paper, three major positions in the area of postcolonial critiques of European Modernity and the Western narrative are distinguished, and presented by recourse to the work of one select author each. These positions are characterized by the rejection of Western modernity, by the suggestion to delink from it and to embrace both non-Western cosmologies and theoretical projects that reflect on the power effects of European colonialism and Western imperialism (Walter Mignolo); by a deconstruction of core text and principles of the European enlightenment (Gayatri Spivak); and by attempts at a renewal and hence a radicalization of some of its core normative claims, particularly humanism (Achille Mbembe). The paper discusses the strengths and the limits of each of these positions. It argues that while Walter Mignolo’s decolonial position might at first sight appear as the most radical of all, at a closer look the potentials for positive change that it entails and puts forward seem decidedly more limited that those of authors writing in the postcolonial studies tradition, namely Spivak and Mbembe.

Democracy is a core principle of contemporary Western political self-understanding. Many Western countries (despite their being affected by what critics call post-democratic tendencies) engage in endeavors at “exporting” democracy: by war, by state-building missions and by good governance programs in the realm of development aid. By those who are supposed to profit from them, such endeavors are not always assessed as being helpful; often, they are opposed and problematized. By focusing on postcolonial theory reflections on Western modernity, the paper attempts at highlighting the long history of Western interventions, and at discussing the critique of their ambivalent or even hypocritical nature. Doing so, it aspires to shed light on the background of contemporary debates on democracy and its discontents.

Author

• Ina Kerner, University of Koblenz-Landau