Postcolonial geographies: an exploratory essay

TLDR

The article discusses the contested meanings of “postcolonial,” noting its use for both the post‑colonial condition and various theoretical perspectives. It proposes a tentative, speculative geography mapping the diverse and complex senses of the term.

Abstract

This article is about debates concerning the ‘postcolonial’. The term bears a variety of inter-related sets of meanings. In the first place ‘postcolonial’ has been used in reference to a condition that succeeds colonial rule. But ‘postcolonial’ also signifies a set of theoretical perspectives. Mindful of this diversity, I present a tentative and speculative geography of the varied and complicated senses (and non-senses) of the conditions and approaches purported to be described by the term.