Worldmaking after Empire: The Rise and Fall of Self-Determination

Description

Decolonization revolutionized the international order during the twentieth century. Yet standard histories that present the end of colonialism as an inevitable transition from a world of empires to one of nations-a world in which self-determination was synonymous with nation-building-obscure just how radical this change was. Drawing on the politica

Adom Getachew is the Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Political Science and the College at the University of Chicago.

"Winner of the Frantz Fanon Prize, Caribbean Philosophical Association" "Winner of the ASA Best Book Prize, African Studies Association" "Winner of the First Book Award, Foundations of Political Theory Section of the American Political Science Association" "Co-Winner of the W.E.B. Du Bois Distinguished Book Award, National Conference of Black Political Scientists" "Co-Winner of the J. David Greenstone Book Prize, Politics & History Section of the American Political Science Association" "Winner of the ISA Theory Best Book, Theory Section of the International Studies Association" "One of Foreign Affairs' Best Books of 2020" "It's been a bad decade for politics, but a great decade for political theory. Three standouts for me were Shatema Threadcraft's Intimate Justice, Adom Getachew's Worldmaking after Empire, and Kathi Weeks's The Problem With Work."---Amia Srinivasan, The Chronicle of Higher Education "[A] marvellous book . . . tracing a new narrative of the nature and significance of anti-colonial thought and politics over the middle decades of the 20th century. Challenging the standard view of decolonisation as a moment of European-style nationbuilding, Getatchew offers instead an account of anti-colonial theory and practice as "worldmaking"."---Jonathan Egid, New Humanist "A compelling look at how Black internationalist thought evolved throughout the postcolonial period and how its successes and failures . . . continue to shape global politics today. "---Jennifer Williams, Foreign Policy