Anticolonial Eruptions: Racial Hubris and the Cunning of Resistance

This incisive study reveals the fundamental, paradoxical weakness of colonialism and the enduring power of anticolonial resistance. Geo Maher argues that the colonizers weakness is rooted in dehumanization, providing strategic cover for revolutionary possibility and organizing unseen.

Format: Hardback
Length: 156 pages
Publication date: 29 March 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

This incisive study delves into the profound and paradoxical weakness of colonialism, while also highlighting the enduring power of anticolonial resistance. Resistance manifests itself in various forms, often surprising those in power, particularly when the agents of struggle are the colonized, enslaved, and marginalized. Anticolonial revolts and slave rebellions have frequently been labeled as "eruptions" by those in authority, as they represent volcanic shocks to a system that fails to anticipate or comprehend them.

In his book, Anticolonial Eruptions, Geo Maher identifies a paradoxical weakness inherent within the foundations of white supremacist power. This weakness, he argues, expands as domination appears more complete, resulting in a colonial blind spot. This blind spot is self-imposed, as the more oppressive and expansive a colonial power becomes, the less-than-human the colonized are perceived to be, thereby increasing the potential for resistance. Maher refers to this paradox as the cunning of decolonization, an inadvertent reversal of the power balance between the oppressor and the oppressed.

Where colonial power asserts itself as unshakable, total, and perpetual, a blind spot provides strategic cover for revolutionary possibilities. It enables the colonized to organize and resist unseen, particularly when race or gender render them invisible. Anticolonial Eruptions demonstrates that this fundamental weakness of colonialism is not a mere flaw but rather a permanent feature of the system, offering grounds for optimism in the midst of global struggles for liberation.

Weight: 318g
Dimension: 210 x 140 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520379350