
We, the Decolonized
Hele Beji(Author)
Polity Press
1st Edition
Published on 14. March 2025
Book
Hardback
176 pages
978-1-5095-6265-7 (ISBN)
Description
We, the Decolonized is a passionate reflection on the pitfalls of the decolonial venture in postcolonial countries, with particular reference to North Africa. Hele Beji shows that in many formerly colonized countries, the reality of independence took the form of elusive freedom, widespread disillusionment and the insidious survival of forms of domination bequeathed by former colonial powers.
Beji delivers an trenchant critique of decolonization: the saddest of all liberties, because it has not kept its promises. Those who had vanquished colonialism, vindicated civilization and struggled free from the yoke of illegitimate government found themselves ensnared in a new trap, having achieved emancipation without liberation. They remained entangled in a compulsive recycling of colonial impulses. To re-embark on the route to a truly free society, intellectuals and political figures must lead by example in acknowledging the reality of the past, adopting tolerant attitudes towards religions and embracing a new and secular democratic mentality.
Beji's important contribution to the decolonial canon will be of great interest to anyone concerned with the politics of decolonization in Africa and the Maghreb and in the Global South more broadly.
Beji delivers an trenchant critique of decolonization: the saddest of all liberties, because it has not kept its promises. Those who had vanquished colonialism, vindicated civilization and struggled free from the yoke of illegitimate government found themselves ensnared in a new trap, having achieved emancipation without liberation. They remained entangled in a compulsive recycling of colonial impulses. To re-embark on the route to a truly free society, intellectuals and political figures must lead by example in acknowledging the reality of the past, adopting tolerant attitudes towards religions and embracing a new and secular democratic mentality.
Beji's important contribution to the decolonial canon will be of great interest to anyone concerned with the politics of decolonization in Africa and the Maghreb and in the Global South more broadly.
Reviews / Votes
"An intelligent, original critique which exposes a new 'history of dependence' and the inability to change forms of consciousness following the independence won by many states in Africa when the quest for freedom that had nourished anticolonial struggles has been abandoned."Jean Khalfa, University of Cambridge
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 149 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
313 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5095-6265-7 (9781509562657)
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Persons
Hele Beji is a Tunisian writer and the founder and president of the International College of Tunis.
Content
Introduction - Nouri Gana
We, the Decolonized
Index
We, the Decolonized
Index