Colonial Exchanges

When European powers colonised the globe, they spread not only political power but also ideas. Yet those within colonised societies did not receive those ideas passively. They instead sought to transform or repurpose them, often in surprising or ambiguous ways. This volume illustrates a variety of examples worthy of further study. -- .

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Recent scholarship in political thought has closely examined the relationship between European political ideas and colonialism, particularly the ways in which canonical thinkers supported or opposed colonial practices. But little attention has been given to the engagement of colonized political and intellectual actors with European ideas. The essays in this volume demonstrate that a full reckoning of colonialism’s effects requires attention to the ways in which colonized intellectuals reacted to, adopted, and transformed these ideas, and to the political projects that their reactions helped to shape. Across nine chapters, a mix of political theorists and intellectual historians grapple with specific thinkers and contexts to show in detail the unpredictable, complex and sometimes paradoxical impact of European ideas in an array of colonial settings. -- .