Is the ‘colonial’ in anticolonialism the same as in ‘postcolonialism’ and ‘decolonialism’? And (how) does it matter?

Adnrew Smith contends that postcolonial and decolonial thought have eschewed materialist analysis in favour of a preoccupation with language and epistemology. He suggests that there are materialist tendencies in anticolonial thought that better explain these pre-occupations, while also providing resources to confront contemporary capitalist imperialism. In response, I note that anticolonial thought contains both materialist and culturalist resources that together helped construct large-scale movements that dismantled colonial rule. I call for a decoupling of ‘postcolonial’ and ‘decolonial’ thought, and argue that the former has been concerned with political economy that is lacking in the latter approach. I outline a materialist framework to understand the rise of postcolonial and decolonial approaches in the academy. I conclude that, as in the case of anticolonial nationalism, a pooling together of cultural and materialist resources underpins contemporary movements confronting capitalist imperialism, whose ‘singular logic’ of economic exploitation has historically failed as an inclusive and effective banner of counterhegemonic political mobilisation.