Post-Colonial Reflections on the ‘Internationalization’ of Cultural Studies

This essay addresses the difficult politics of ‘internationalizing’ cultural studies. In an effort to participate in ongoing conversations about, and around, ‘internationalizing’ cultural studies, this essay invites us to attend to the frames of reference that can sometimes underlie our efforts at ‘internationalizing’ cultural studies. Examining larger issues such as our frequent unexamined points of departure into the ‘international’, the geo-politics of knowledge production, academic protocols and practices, the gross unevenness in transnational exchange and circulation of knowledge, the continued hegemony of English as a language that secures academic legitimacy, this essay probes some of the obstacles that can often confront attempts at decolonizing cultural studies.