A Review of Chandran Nair's Dismantling Global White Privilege: Equity for a Post-Western World

Abstract

A Review of Chandran Nair's Dismantling Global White Privilege: Equity for a Post-Western World Rachel Li (bio) The contemporary has experienced humanity's increased capacity for connection across geographical boundaries. For many, the potential for instantaneous proliferation of ideas around the globe was exemplified by the U.S. Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, which were followed by numerous protests in other countries that called into questioned the systems perpetuating racism and discrimination against marginalized groups.1 However, fully understanding the universal effects of White privilege also requires understanding the interconnections between White privilege and conceptions of Western superiority on a global scale. In his book Dismantling Global White Privilege: Equity for a Post-Western World, author Chandran Nair aims to explain the perpetuation of hegemonic Western culture that imposes economic supremacy through the lens of white privilege. Nair details four main patterns that reinforce white privilege: (1) The "ideal" form of different spheres of life (including politics, economics, and aspects of culture) follows a Western model; (2) White and Western entities give legitimacy to certain expressions or actions through a reliance on Western terms of reference; (3) Institutions that judge how closely others follow such standards are largely Western and white-led; (4) Only White and Western entities in power are able to punish those who go against their established global order.2 By examining these patterns in cases ranging from politics and economics to culture and education, Nair seeks to illuminate the subtle yet destructive ways white privilege and Western dominance have been enforced through global systems. Though the author recognizes different readers will likely have very different reactions to the book, Nair centers his book on raising awareness to spark further conversation. Privileged politics Nair begins his book by calling into question the notion of Great Power Competition that frames much of the U.S.-led Western discourse on current international affairs. Rather than seeing global politics through the lens of national security or the preservation and promotion of democracy, Nair argues that Western dominance on the global stage and within international institutions is the foundation for the overarching status quo. Within fundamental understandings of the world order in recent decades, Nair emphasizes a stark contrast between the mainstream narratives of relative peace worldwide and the harsh realities of hundreds of armed conflicts taking place in Asia, Africa, and Latin America since the end of World War II.3 Nair then outlines various ways that white privilege and Western superiority have contributed to global disparities while passing the blame and burden to improve onto non-Western countries. In one example, the author references the long-held standard of the World Bank being led by an American and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by a European. The IMF Articles of Agreement specifically set the voting rules for the organization's director, granting countries with the largest economies and economic viability preference for membership onto the executive board. The executive board—largely from white, West European nation-states—then [End Page 277] appoint the director.4 As for the World Bank, the United States supposedly seemed the least scathed by the war and thus most able to lead an organization aimed at rebuilding a post-World War II Europe.5 These examples demonstrate that Western dominance is deeply ingrained in our world order, and the world order is rooted in centuries of Western imperialist economic success. Furthermore, the World Bank, originally named the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, was created for the purpose of giving financial support to Western countries, yet it adopted a global name to symbolize trans-Atlantic relations between the United States and Europe.6 This image of international cooperation solely based in the West neglects whole continents that not only also suffered heavy losses from war, but also suffered centuries of exploitation at the hands of white colonial powers. Nair recognizes that no country has perfectly protected its people and supported its economy at all times. However, he makes it clear that the West has repeatedly overlooked acts of "authoritarianism, corruption, and other human rights abuses" in the past, as long as the countries in which these acts were committed are perceived...