"Practices of Decolonization (Sascha Crasnow, Andrew Herscher, Derek Peterson, Michael Witgen, Mrinalini Sinha), September 25, 2020

What is decolonization? What does it mean and what does it entail? These questions and more have emerged center-stage in recent years with a spate of new academic scholarship on decolonization as well as from the politically vibrant clamor on the streets. The latter ranges from #RhodesMustFall to Standing Rock and the recent global iterations of #BlackLivesMatter. At stake is a vastly expanded understanding of the histories of colonialism. The effects are, of course, not just out there in the colonies, but also in the erstwhile imperial centers. The consequences were never just political and economic but also social and cultural. And colonialism is not just a matter of the past; it persists well into the present. The resulting push back against colonialism has produced a reanimation of the myriad uses of the term decolonization: as an axial event of the twentieth century; a more long-term and ongoing political process; a metaphor and a method; and as a distinctive project for the repatriation of Indigenous lands.

Our panel of scholars will explore the meaning of decolonization from within their respective fields. Our Q&A format will help to navigate the tensions and contradictions between different uses of the term as well as to reflect on its continued usefulness for scholarly analysis.

Panelists:

• Sascha Crasnow (Lecturer, Residential College, University of Michigan)
• Andrew Herscher (Associate Professor; Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, History of Art, Slavic Languages and Literatures; University of Michigan)
• Derek Peterson (Professor, History and Afroamerican and African Culture, University of Michigan)
• Michael Witgen (Professor, History and American Culture, University of Michigan)
• Mrinalini Sinha, chair (Alice Freeman Palmer Professor of History, University of Michigan)