Decolonial Theory or the Invention of a Common Enemy

On both sides of the Atlantic, polemics have been raging on complex questions relating to identity and race: cancel culture, wokism, critical race theory, assaults on affirmative action policies, and labeling scholars “Islamo-Leftists.” The focus of this article is provided by a closer examination of the ways in which a group of militant academics have instrumentalized the notion of “decolonialism” and how adherents have positioned themselves as the self-appointed imaginary defenders of academic freedom in research. Having identified the primary corrupting influence as originating in the United States, they have sought to discredit scholarship on decolonial, postcolonial, and intersectional studies, delineating in the process a common enemy. What transpires is an antagonism aimed at scholars who have elected to subject French Republican ideals to greater scrutiny, highlighted shortcomings in secularist policies while pointing to deep-seated historical fractures in the country’s sense of exceptionalism, and also underscoring France’s inability to address structural racism and disquieting forms of Islamophobia. We all know the considerable impact postcolonial studies have had internationally, reconfiguring and reshaping intellectual debates and institutional frameworks and stimulating broad interdisciplinary research. One cannot overstate the importance of fostering spaces in which rigorous research findings can be shared and discussed and of finding our way back to the kind of dialogue and exchanges that were foundational elements in a tradition that made France’s reputation and were a source of pride.