Spivak and Postcolonial Critique

 In the past two weeks, we continued our discussion about Spivak's A Critique of Postcolonial Reason. We discussed her deconstructive reading of European philosophy and the advantages and limits of this form of reading. Additionally, we explored questions about Spivak's understanding of postcolonial critique and its possible differences in relation to decolonial critique. These were some of the highlights of our discussions:

Postcolonial Critique as negotiation: Spivak emphasizes the negotiating nature of postcolonial critique in the sense of critique not breaking apart, dismissing, and accusing the European colonial tradition, but entering a more nuanced and differentiated relationship with it that "suspends accusation" (98). Shouldn't "accusations" be an important part of the critique of canon nevertheless?  We asked ourselves: What are the advantages of the ambivalent approach to colonial thought history? There are also some interesting parallels to Dussel's concept of Transmodernity.

Marxism and Difference: Spivak's deconstructive reading of Marx opens up possibilities for postcolonial marxism. What is the role of difference in that Marxism, and to what degree would postcolonial marxism overcome the dogmas of orthodox Marxism?

Colonialism as "enabling violation": In an interview (The Present as History, Critical Perspectives on Global Power, p.176), Spivak characterizes British colonialism in India as an "enabling violation", arguing that she is not against the British but against "bad colonial policy". This perspective puts Spivak in an opposed position in relation to many anti-colonial and decolonial thinkers that regard colonialism as an absolute evil that has had only harmful effects. To what degree is Spivak's different understanding of colonialism a result of her focus on the Indian experience of colonialism and a result of geopolitical differences that need to be highlighted and analyzed through comparative studies? Her perspective develops a critique of the colonial violation, without denying that certain transformations after colonialism are also cases of progress and growth (for example technological advancements).