Turning Discourse into Action: A Decolonial Case Study of the Italian Occupation of Libya
Student Type
Graduate
University
Old Dominion University
Country
United States
Document Type
Conference Paper
Description/Abstract
Decolonial theory advocates for the multidimensionality of experiences. Transitioning to achieving decolonial frameworks and ending the cycle of dependency is possible only through meaningful change. Françoise Vergès in A Decolonial Feminism, A Feminist Theory of Violence: A Decolonial Perspective, and Cesaire’s Resolutely Black: Conversations with Françoise Vergès deconstructs systemic norms and colonial legacies to inform solidarity-centered approaches to future change in policy making. Vergès advocates for dismantling colonialism, capitalism, racism, imperialism, and all the systems that created cultural superiority, Eurocentrism, white supremacy, and built prisons. When juxtaposed in conversation with Michel Foucault, Franz Fanon, Albert Memmi, Aimé Césaire, and Edward Said, and in conjunction with a case study on the colonization of Libya, we can understand Vergès’ argument on how racial capitalism, imperialism and colonial occupation inevitably produce gendered violence with the complicity of the state.
Disciplines
International and Area Studies
Session Title
Colonialism: Past, Present, and Future
Location
Webb Center, Isle of Wight Room
Start Date
February 2023
End Date
February 2023
Turning Discourse into Action: A Decolonial Case Study of the Italian Occupation of Libya
Webb Center, Isle of Wight Room
Decolonial theory advocates for the multidimensionality of experiences. Transitioning to achieving decolonial frameworks and ending the cycle of dependency is possible only through meaningful change. Françoise Vergès in A Decolonial Feminism, A Feminist Theory of Violence: A Decolonial Perspective, and Cesaire’s Resolutely Black: Conversations with Françoise Vergès deconstructs systemic norms and colonial legacies to inform solidarity-centered approaches to future change in policy making. Vergès advocates for dismantling colonialism, capitalism, racism, imperialism, and all the systems that created cultural superiority, Eurocentrism, white supremacy, and built prisons. When juxtaposed in conversation with Michel Foucault, Franz Fanon, Albert Memmi, Aimé Césaire, and Edward Said, and in conjunction with a case study on the colonization of Libya, we can understand Vergès’ argument on how racial capitalism, imperialism and colonial occupation inevitably produce gendered violence with the complicity of the state.