Advanced Topics in Anthropology (Half-Term): Anti-Colonial Theory and Practice

This seminar explores the de-/anti-colonial project, focusing on different strains of theory and practice. While the field has developed sophisticated analyses of coloniality, we examine the praxis-oriented intellectual tradition of direct de-/anti-colonial action, drawing from Global South and Indigenous contexts. The seminar surveys various modes of praxis: the psycho-affective and material changes of direct action, decolonizing culture, skeptical entanglement with colonial institutions, politics of resurgence and refusal, and cultural/political insurgency. The seminar also foregrounds the affordances/constraints of avenues for action.