Who’s Afraid of Postcolonial Studies?

Abstract

The field of Postcolonial Studies has had a transformative influence on a range of disciplines and fields, compelled us to rethink our relationship to the world through the prism of colonial experiences, and to reconsider the various legacies of this longer history. This was an initial phase in what remains a priority in colleges and universities today, and beyond as publishers and translators have endeavored to foster more diverse and inclusive practices. Influential scholars have adopted, adapted, and embraced various tenets of postcolonial theory, yet the reception has, at best, been lukewarm, and more recently instrumentalized in vicious attacks against so-called “Islamo-Leftists.” Ultimately, the reluctance to reconsider colonial history and postcolonial contexts has stifled conversations on racial advocacy, and official discourse has continued to contradict the experiences of racialized populations. The fact that postcolonial studies continue to be the subject of misgivings in academic circles in France underscores how many academics are struggling to come to terms with the new cultural, social, and political realities of the country and discovering that the critical apparatus they previously employed is no longer adequate. Instead, new critical approaches are emerging, offering greater etymological nuance to collective memory, and putting into question previously accepted norms and ready-made truths while turning a new page on its history.