Drawing on Denise Ferreira da Silva’s theory of compositional thinking and Kapil Kapoor’s "Decolonizing the Indian Mind", I wish to briefly interrogate the relationship between consciousness and space, and more specifically, probe the connections between identity and geography in the context of colonialism.
Further, building on the work of Jacques Derrida and Katherine McKittrick, I aim to address some of the failings of contemporary critical and (post)colonial theory in regards to how modern leftist, linear theories of the colonial subject persist as detrimental, hauntological renderings. Next, influenced by McKittrick’s "Mathematics Black Life", I intend to deploy a decolonial interpretation that actively revokes and opposes imaginings of anti-indigenous violence rather than sustains it. I train my sights on the anti-colonial work of Kapoor to identify and dwell on instances and spaces of indigenous freedom and resistance.
Ultimately, taking into account Kapoor’s criticisms of the Western economy and by putting Kapoor’s and Karl Marx’s work into conversation with each other, I will analyze how Marxist thought situates itself within a linear context and is unable to extricate itself from the colonial matrix.
Table of Contents
1. Towards a Global, Fractal (Post)Colonial Theory: Interrogating the Colonial Matrix Through Explorations of Space and Consciousness
Objectives and Topics
This paper aims to critique the reliance on linear thinking within contemporary (post)colonial theory and Marxist economic analysis, proposing instead a "compositional" or "fractal" approach that integrates space and consciousness to better understand the ongoing impacts of colonial violence.
- The theoretical shift from linear to compositional thinking (Denise Ferreira da Silva).
- The relationship between geography, identity, and the "colonial-racial machinery."
- Critique of colonial violence as a system of psychological and geographical alienation.
- Analysis of Kapil Kapoor’s "Decolonizing the Indian Mind" and the reconstruction of the self.
- Evaluation of the limitations of Marxist theory in addressing the colonial matrix.
Excerpt from the Book
Towards a Global, Fractal (Post)Colonial Theory: Interrogating the Colonial Matrix Through Explorations of Space and Consciousness
In her 2016 essay Fractal Thinking, theorist Denise Ferreira da Silva addresses the contemporary, reactionary leftist and neoliberal pathology to (mis)understand histories of colonialism through a line of linear thinking. Though mainly focused on how mechanisms of raciality and coloniality intersect and engage with the (re)production of global capital, Silva also argues for a rethinking of history. According to Silva, linear thought is beholden singularly to Western European philosophy and theory (in the vein of Žižek and Badiou). Thus, conceptions of history and modernity are formed through patterns of restrictive, Western European-centric linearities. To Silva, brutal and traumatic events such as slavery and colonialism are not relegated to a remote, bygone past as linear thinking suggests. Instead, they are foundational and omnipresent in our collective modern psyche: the conception of the present is grounded in the ontologies of the past.
Summary of Chapters
1. Towards a Global, Fractal (Post)Colonial Theory: Interrogating the Colonial Matrix Through Explorations of Space and Consciousness: This section introduces the core thesis, arguing that a fractal, compositional approach is necessary to move beyond linear Western paradigms of colonial history and to recognize the omnipresence of colonial violence in modern ontologies.
Keywords
Fractal Thinking, Compositional Thinking, Colonialism, Racial-Colonial Machinery, Geography, Consciousness, Hauntology, Decolonization, Marxist Theory, Indian Philosophy, Global Capitalism, Hegemony, Ontological Disjunction, Space, Identity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental argument of this work?
The work argues that contemporary theoretical frameworks, particularly those rooted in Western linear thought and traditional Marxism, fail to grasp the ongoing, multidimensional nature of colonial violence, necessitating a "fractal" analytical approach.
What are the central thematic fields?
The central fields include (post)colonial theory, the intersection of geography and consciousness, the critique of capitalist production, and the philosophy of decolonization.
What is the primary objective of this research?
The objective is to challenge existing academic methods of reading history and to propose a global, fractal theory that rejects colonial hegemony and supports indigenous reconstruction.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The paper utilizes a critical theoretical approach, synthesizing works by Denise Ferreira da Silva, Kapil Kapoor, Sylvia Wynter, and Katherine McKittrick to perform a decolonial critique of linear historiography.
What is covered in the main body?
The main body examines the relationship between space and identity, the colonial "othering" of indigenous geography, the specific critique of the Indian mind under British colonialism, and the inadequacy of Marxist theory in addressing the colonial matrix.
Which keywords characterize this paper?
Key terms include Fractal Thinking, Colonialism, Compositional Thinking, Geography, Hauntology, Decolonization, and Hegemony.
How does the author define "compositional thinking"?
It is defined as an alternate mode of thought that attends to all four dimensions—space and time—simultaneously, viewing events as constitutive elements that are always reassembling, rather than as points on a linear timeline.
Why is the term "(post)colony" used with parentheses?
The parentheses are used to interpose an uncomfortable break, acknowledging that colonialism is an ongoing geopolitical encounter rather than a historical event that has been successfully moved beyond.
How does the paper critique Marxist theory?
The paper contends that Marxism is limited by its "linear" focus on economic organization and class struggle, which relegates the complex, foundational realities of race and colonial praxis to the ideological periphery.
What does Kapoor suggest regarding "reviving" Indian thought?
Kapoor argues against merely reviving pre-colonial thought; instead, he advocates for the "reconstruction of the Indian self" to actively decolonize the mind in the face of existing fragmented identities.
- Quote paper
- Lena Dassonville (Author), 2016, Towards a Global, Fractal (Post)Colonial Theory, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/346594
