Re-thinking Colonialism and Social Policy: With the Logic of Imperialism

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between colonialism, imperialism, and social policy. Drawing on critical theories of colonialism and imperialism and the role of science and race in the bourgeois ‘imperialist project, we argue that social policy cannot be fully understood without considering the ways in which colonialism and imperialism's thought and practice shaped the historical development of social policy. The article examines key concepts such as hegemony, power, race and ‘science’ and demonstrates how they can be used to analyze the impact of colonialism and imperialism on social policy. By rethinking the relationship between colonialism, imperialism, and social policy, we propose a new framework for understanding the role of social policy in the reproduction of global inequalities. Social policies on welfare, informed by the imperialist logic of race and science, were all ingrained in the practice of colonial authorities and the colonial state as rationales for maintaining the empire. Ultimately, the article suggests that a critical approach to understanding colonial social policy, which considers race, is necessary to analyze the origin of social policy and the legacies of colonialism and imperialism in contemporary society.