Duara, Prasenjit, ed. Decolonization: Perspectives from Now and Then.

• Author: Garcia, Cheryl Crozier
• Position: Book Review

Duara, Prasenjit, ed. Decolonization: Perspectives from Now and Then. London: Routledge, 2004. 272 pp. Paper, $31.95.

This book discusses the social phenomenon of decolonization from two very different perspectives: from the point of view of the colonized, and from the standpoint of academicians and theorists. The editor has chosen his essays well; Duara allows the reader to see, through the eyes of the colonized, the impact that Western European empire building has had, and continues to have, on the peoples upon whom empires were built. The cultures, worldviews, and leadership potential of communities dealing with decolonization are discussed in detail.

Duara's scope is broad, covering Western European colonial activities in Africa and Asia. The writings of leaders with diverse backgrounds and ideologies are included: From Sun Yat-Sen and Ho Chi Minh to Jawaharlal Nehru and Frantz Fanon, the essayists deal with a wide range of topics. The role of women, the deconstruction of traditional village life, religion, the need for modernization, and the role of economic development are covered in some detail. Sovereignty and revolution are recurrent themes in the essays written by those who have been colonized. The role of religion--specifically, religious evangelization as a colonizing influence--is also an undercurrent in many of the essays.

Western writers appearing in this volume discuss the impact colonization has had from the viewpoint of the colonizers. The essays in this section are neither exegetical nor apologetic; they merely discuss both positive and negative effects that empire building has had on both colonizers and the colonized. The Western essayists do quite a good job of explaining the impact that colonization had on twentieth-century history, particularly the forces that necessitated the breakup of empires after World War II, and the aftermath on formerly colonized peoples.

Duara uses his selection of writings in this volume to make several important points about community structure, social change, and human justice. First, any successful system...