The Center Cannot Hold: Decolonial Possibility in the Collapse of a Tanzanian NGO

Jenna N. Hanchey's book explores the decolonial potential of ruination and collapse, highlighting the conflicts between local leadership and Western paternalism and the unstable subjectivity of Western volunteers. She argues that Western institutional and mental structures must fall apart to allow for the emergence of decolonial justice. Hanchey suggests that privileged subjects can gain critical awareness through encounters with their complicity and that the creation of decolonial futures depends on the labor required to imagine impossible futures.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 02 August 2023
Publisher: Duke University Press

In her thought-provoking book, "The Center Cannot Hold: Ruination and Decolonial Potential," Jenna N. Hanchey delves into the transformative power of processes of ruination and collapse. Through ethnographic fieldwork conducted at an internationally funded NGO in rural Tanzania, where she witnessed the organization's dissolution, Hanchey explores the complex conflicts that arise between local leadership and Western paternalism. She also uncovers the unstable subjectivity of Western volunteers, including the author herself, who struggle to navigate the contradictions of playing the dual roles of decolonializing ally and white savior.

Hanchey argues that for decolonial justice to emerge, Western institutional and mental structures must be allowed to fall apart. She demonstrates how, through the ruination of privileged subjects, they can gain critical awareness through repeated encounters with their own complicity, providing an opportunity to break free from and oppose epistemologies of coloniality.

After things fall apart, Hanchey posits that the creation of decolonial futures hinges on the labor required to imagine and bring into being impossible futures. She encourages readers to embrace this transformative process and work towards building more just and equitable societies.

"The Center Cannot Hold" is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the complexities of decoloniality, power dynamics, and the possibilities for social change in the aftermath of collapse. Hanchey's insightful analysis and compelling storytelling offer valuable insights into the ongoing struggle for justice and equality in a world shaped by colonial legacies.

Weight: 372g
Dimension: 152 x 231 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478020462