Decolonizing Political Thought

In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in a wave of decolonization in a diversity of disciplines, especially in the social sciences. The latter has especially been the case with political thought, which has come to involve an increase in the level of self-conscious rethinking, and reorientation of the subject with its previous complicity with the project of colonialism and the advancement of Eurocentric thought. This process has become extremely important when it comes to seeking to ensure that there is the advancement of a situation where the political thought of the contemporary world is updated to reflect its current realities. While the process has not been uniform across the disciplines, it is pertinent to consider that when it comes to political thought, the decolonization process is still one that has a long way to go before it is complete. In this paper, there is an analysis of the process of the decolonization of political thought, with specific reference to Burke, Bentham, Kant and Hegel, who have played a significant role when it comes to the Anglo-American political philosophy.

One of the most fundamental aspects of the decolonization of political thought is that it is aimed at making sure that there is the facilitation of self-rule by indigenous peoples. Mainstream political thought in the contemporary world has come to be viewed as being western dominated in such a way that has promoted imperialistic ideals that have led to the justification of the oppressions of peoples not native to the western world (Simpson, 2004). While political theory is for the most part concerned with the issue of government and how people are governed, the current western-dominated political theory is believed to legitimize the process of colonization, which involves the promotion of the superiority of European societies over all others. Hegel, for example, suggests that freedom can only be recognized and practiced in classical, Christian and modern Europe, and that indigenous people across the world can only achieve this objective through submitting to European domination (Stone, 2017). Under such circumstances, political theory has come to be heavily aligned with the process of colonization; hence the need to make sure that there is the promotion of means through which to decolonize political theories. Therefore, western political thought has had an influence in the legitimization of a Eurocentric mindset not only in the past, but it is a process that continues to this day. It has ensured that there is the development of theories of government that essentially involve the process of either accommodation or extinguishment that considerably enhances Eurocentric political thought.

The process of decolonization is necessary because it ensures that colonized peoples are included in the institutions of power. The latter was an idea that was advanced by Burke, who sought to ensure that there was the promotion of the rights of indigenous people through a study of instances of oppression in India (Bolton, 2005). The design of this process is one that seeks to make sure that there is the promotion of both the interests of the colonizer and the colonized so that their political cultures can be viewed based on their diversity rather than relying only on a single dominant theory, in this case the Eurocentric one. This is a process where the colonized are able to successfully undertake to contest the circumstances of their oppression in such a way that considerably enhances their political thought as opposed to the Eurocentric one. Bentham is one of the philosophers who promoted an anti-imperialist agenda; going against the popular conception of colonialism that was prevalent in the 18^th and 19^th centuries (Schultz, 2007). Therefore, when it comes to the process of decolonizing political thought, it is essential to consider that it is one that seeks to develop new philosophies that place an emphasis on politics and government. It explores the challenges that have continued to be faced in recent years in the process of creating a new polity that is aimed to be more just in a manner that makes it possible for those who have been colonized to achieve political freedom. These considerations are connected with a diversity of developments in political theory, which include the politics of entitlement and identity, the postcolonial theory, and the critical race theory. These theories are extremely important when it comes to the development of an analysis concerning the changes that have taken place in political thought over the decades and the new assumptions and ideas that are coming up to explain them (Mills, 2014b, p. 3). They further seek to bring an end to racialized interests and instead promote a view of political equality that not only makes it possible for individuals in society to accept, but also reflect on their colonial past and how it affected the various parties involved.

It is noteworthy that efforts have been made to make sure that there is the decolonization of political thought, and these have for the most part followed a couple of themes. The first of these is that there is the need to unmask the oppressive assumptions that have for the most part historically justified colonization and imperialism in western political theory (Robinson, 2012). Another theme is that there is need to ensure that there is the proposal of new ways of thinking about politics that has the potential of facilitating indigenous self-determination (Widdowson, 2013). The first theme has been extremely influential in the development of the critical race theory, which promotes the idea, that there is need to bring about the racialization of political theory in such a way that it is unloaded and contextualized in ways that show the considerable racialized interests. The latter are involved in defining the concept of what it means to have a good life or community. It is ironical that one of the most popular assumptions of political theory that has done the most to promote colonization is the enlightenment idea of universality. It is maintained that the production of whiteness is a process that cannot be separated from that of humanity because it aims at bringing about the concept of autonomy, freedom, progress, and rationality, which are not believed to be possessed by indigenous peoples (Sardar, 1999). The concept of universalism can be assumed to have come about mainly because those who theorized it were often involved in slavery and the oppression of indigenous peoples.

Consequently, despite the presence of modern political theory such as liberalism, which promotes the need for universal human rights, there seems to have been a failure in the promotion of means through which to grant the same rights to indigenous peoples (Tully, 2000). There has been a failure to guarantee that indigenous people are able to receive entitlements such as equality before the law and both individual and collective freedom; a sign that western political thought is still dominated by its colonial past and the need to ensure that the process of decolonization is vigorously undertaken. Some of the most important philosophers of the enlightenment were individuals that championed liberty and equality within a political establishment, yet seem to have continued to promote the idea of colonization to such an extent that they racialized the process of colonization and the oppression of indigenous people (Smith, 2012; Widdowson, 2013). There was the promotion of the idea that indigenous peoples were essentially lesser beings and had to be dominated by the Europeans because the latter had proven their ability to achieve mastery over land and members of individuals that were perceived to be from lesser human races. The so-called lesser races were therefore condemned to perpetually serve the Europeans because of the belief that they did not possess the same capabilities to dominate. Therefore, the colonial enterprise was justified by the ideas of European racial superiority and the creation of idea of the other in order to show the considerable inferiority and weakness of indigenous people (Hampton, Bourassa, & McKay-McNab, 2004); hence the need for the civilizing influence of European colonialism.

Thus, current political thought can be considered to have been developed by individuals who had accepted an oppressive political process in their own lives. Under such circumstances, political thought can be considered to be a promoter of colonial knowledge because it acts as an agent of colonialism. The political theory that was developed during the age of enlightenment and which are still very popular today came about during a period of European colonialism. Because of this, this theory was greatly influenced by the European experience of the colonial administration, imperial rivalries, and the desire to build empires both at home and abroad. For example, Kant promotes the idea that only the white race has the capacity to have all the incentives and talents in itself (Ypi, 2014). Therefore, political thought ended up absorbing ideals that for the most part promoted the justification of colonization because the latter was a process that was popular in the period. The circumstances that were created and continue to dominate political thought are based on the assumption of the westerner, on one hand, and the other, who include all non-Europeans. Europeans were for the most part considered to be the reflection of humanity in such a way that ensured that there was the justification of the colonization and subjugation of indigenous peoples. The latter were often dehumanized because of the idea that they could not reach the same level of political and social sophistication as their European counterparts; meaning that they were essentially sub-human and Europeans had the right to dominate them. The strength of arms is considered an essential aspect of political theory, and military power is often promoted as a justification for dominance and expropriation.

The contemporary political theory has for the most part been influenced by colonialism in such a way that ensures that there is the promotion of the concept of individualism. Individualism, rather than recognition of the unique aspects of indigenous populations, has ended up leading to the establishment of means through which colonial thought has continued to be espoused (Alfred & Corntassel, 2005). The development of universal individual rights fails to consider that there is a need to ensure that there is the recognition of the rights of indigenous people. This is especially the case when it comes to the development of means through which there is the use of Eurocentric ideals that make it difficult for an understanding of indigenous political thought to be undertaken. The concept of indigineity is one that has to be understood in the process of decolonizing political thought (Smith, 2012). This is because it is a concept that preceded colonialism and because of this, it has to be respected by political scholars. Therefore, it is necessary to make sure that there is the promotion of means through which to enhance the contributions of indigenous people in their own political thought through a process that essentially advocates for the abandonment of the colonial aspects of political thought. There has to be a procedure where decolonization takes on a robust approach to equality in such a way that rather than promoting a Eurocentric viewpoint, it is necessary to build up an approach where there is the achievement of the goal of bringing about an understanding of political thought that overcomes racial prejudices and instead advances the need for passing judgment based on character.

Modern political theory has been influenced by a Eurocentric viewpoint to such an extent that it has become fundamentally hostile to indigenous rights. It reduced the distinctive rights that these individuals possess in a way that ensures that there is a failure to consider their contributions to the construction of their own societies (Lander, 2000). Furthermore, there is the promotion of the idea that indigenous people do not have the capacity to advance their political establishments in such a way that matches the western ones. It is pertinent to consider that the western democratic model is looked upon as the idea when it comes to determining the social and political advancement of society. Therefore, because a majority of countries that are led by indigenous people have not followed the western model, or have followed it nominally, this model is still considered to be the ideal (Moghadam, 1989). Political structures are often formed based on the environment within which the exist; meaning that there is need to make sure that before a Eurocentric view is imposed on indigenous political establishments, there is a process where there is an assessment of the reasons behind such moves. The decolonization of modern political thought can therefore be considered extremely fundamental when it comes to recognizing the manner through which the process of achieving justice and equality in society (Walsh, 2007). It allows for an end to the disregard for the indigenous contributions, and creates political thought that ceases to have the negative influences of colonialism.

The process of decolonizing political thought has to be undertaken in such a way that makes it possible to overcome its negative aspects. For example, liberal political theory suggests that an individual is one that is not only propertied, but also heterosexual, in control of his emotions, and of appropriate lineage. It enhances the Eurocentric idea of whiteness in such a way that it comes to symbolize such characteristics as moderation, self-control and reason. This idea ends up putting the view concerning indigenous people at an extremely negative light because these people come to be viewed as inferior (Mills, 2014a). The concept of racial inferiority was developed during the colonial period in a bid to promote imperial adventures. European powers based their reputations on the number of colonies that they possessed; essentially advancing the need to subjugate indigenous people in order to prove their superiority. The colonial competition between European powers was behind the creation of concepts of indigenous inferiority that have continued to linger in contemporary political thought. Indigenous people are considered to be too emotional to be effective political actors and this has been legitimized in political thought through the normalization of racist exclusion when it comes to the way that scholars handle indigenous political affairs (Godrej, 2008). Therefore, there is the need to make sure that there is the promotion of means through which political thought is decolonized through placing an emphasis on the failures of some of the prevalent theories. The latter have been considerably influenced by Eurocentric ideas that have failed to make sure that there is a balanced view of political discourse.

In conclusion, the ideas promoted by Bentham and Burke can be considered to be essential for the development of a decolonized political thought. This is in opposition to the influence that Hegel and Kant have had on the liberal political thought in the contemporary world, which have for the most part not only become dominant, but also brought about the continued advancement of Eurocentric political theories. While Bentham and Burke seek to promote the creation of an environment where there is greater equality, Hegel and Kant advance the idea that the members of the different races are fundamentally different, with Europeans being superior while the rest are inferior. It is because of the latter that there is need to make sure that there is the achievement of the goal of decolonizing political thought.