“Decolonizing Global Theories Today” by Malini Johar Schueller: Summary and Critique

Introduction: “Decolonizing Global Theories Today” by Malini Johar Schueller

“Decolonizing Global Theories Today” by Malini Johar Schueller first appeared in Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies in 2009. This pivotal essay critiques the universalizing tendencies of contemporary global theories, as exemplified by theorists such as Hardt, Negri, Agamben, and Butler. Schueller argues that these theories, despite their radical intents, often replicate the Eurocentrism and colonial logic they seek to dismantle. She underscores the ethical imperative to resist and decolonize such frameworks, emphasizing that “global theories can operate as colonizing forces which it is our ethical task to resist.” The essay holds profound significance in literary and cultural theory for challenging the dominance of Western-centric paradigms and advocating for a more nuanced, context-sensitive approach that acknowledges colonial difference. It provides a critical lens for examining the intersections of postcolonial critique, sovereignty, and the ongoing impacts of globalization.

Summary of “Decolonizing Global Theories Today” by Malini Johar Schueller

Theoretical Terms/Concepts in “Decolonizing Global Theories Today” by Malini Johar Schueller

Theoretical Term/Concept	Description	Context in the Article
Universalism	The tendency to create overarching theories that claim to apply to all contexts and peoples, often rooted in Eurocentric traditions.	Schueller critiques global theories by Hardt, Negri, Agamben, and Butler for replicating colonial universalism and marginalizing non-Western perspectives.
Colonial Difference	The persistent structuring of knowledge, power, and identity through the binaries of colonizer/colonized and West/non-West.	Schueller emphasizes the need for global theories to recognize and address the colonial difference that shapes modernity and global power structures.
Empire	A concept from Hardt and Negri describing a decentralized, non-territorial global sovereignty that replaces traditional imperialism.	Schueller critiques this concept for ignoring the material realities of neo-imperialism, resource extraction, and ongoing colonial violence.
Bare Life	Agamben’s term for a state of human existence stripped of rights and reduced to mere biological survival.	Schueller critiques Agamben’s lack of attention to colonial histories in theorizing bare life and points out the Orientalism embedded in his use of the term “Muselmann.”
Sovereignty	The authority to govern and the power to define who is included or excluded from political life.	Schueller critiques Agamben’s focus on Western sovereignty and biopolitics, arguing it neglects the colonial roots of these mechanisms.
Vulnerability	Butler’s concept of shared human fragility as a basis for ethical relationships and political community.	Schueller critiques Butler’s notion of vulnerability for universalizing experiences of suffering and ignoring systemic inequalities tied to race and colonialism.
Global Assemblage	A framework emphasizing localized interactions of global forms with situated political and cultural contexts.	Schueller endorses Ong and Collier’s concept of global assemblage as an alternative to universalizing global theories, allowing for specificity and situatedness.
Postcolonial Unease	The discomfort with universalizing theories due to their resemblance to colonial knowledge production.	Schueller highlights this unease in critiquing contemporary global theories, which often reproduce colonial logics.
World Social Forum (WSF)	A global movement aimed at resisting neoliberal globalization and promoting an alternative world order.	Schueller critiques the WSF for its Eurocentrism, neglect of colonialism, and exclusion of racial and indigenous struggles.
Neo-Enlightenment Humanism	A resurgence of universalist appeals to common humanity that overlook historical and structural inequalities.	Schueller warns that contemporary global theories risk falling into neo-Enlightenment humanism, perpetuating Western dominance.
Polyversality	Eisenstein’s alternative to universality, emphasizing multiple, diverse connections without erasing differences.	Schueller uses this concept to propose a more inclusive approach to global theory that resists the universalizing tendencies of Western frameworks.
Decolonization of Theory	The process of dismantling Eurocentric and imperialist structures within theoretical frameworks.	Schueller advocates for this as an ongoing, reflexive practice essential to creating truly global and equitable theories.

Contribution of “Decolonizing Global Theories Today” by Malini Johar Schueller to Literary Theory/Theories

• Critique of Universalism in Contemporary Theory:
  • Schueller identifies the resurgence of universalist paradigms in global theories by scholars such as Hardt, Negri, Agamben, and Butler. She argues these theories replicate colonial-era universalism, marginalizing non-Western epistemologies (“like the tradition of colonial knowledge production, universalizing, albeit in different ways”).
  • This critique contributes to postcolonial literary theory by interrogating the Eurocentric assumptions embedded in many global frameworks and narratives (p. 236).
• Intersection of Postcolonial Studies and Globalization Theories:
  • Schueller highlights how globalization theories often erase the material realities of colonialism and neo-imperialism. This perspective broadens the postcolonial critique of modern global power systems (“colonial difference continues to be central in knowledge construction, particularly in theory”).
  • This intersection provides a framework for analyzing global cultural texts, focusing on colonial histories and their lingering effects on sovereignty and resistance (p. 237).
• Challenging Agamben’s Concept of Bare Life:
  • Schueller critiques Agamben’s Homo Sacer for its lack of attention to colonialism and the racialized construction of sovereignty and bare life (“we need to move not only from prison to camp but also from prison and camp to colony”).
  • This challenge contributes to theories of biopolitics by advocating for a decolonial lens that accounts for how racialized bodies are marked as bare life in colonial and postcolonial contexts (p. 242).
• Reevaluation of Judith Butler’s Vulnerability:
  • While recognizing Butler’s contributions to feminist and ethical theories, Schueller critiques the universalization of vulnerability as an ethical foundation. She argues this concept ignores structural inequalities tied to colonial and racial histories (“some vulnerabilities are more vulnerable than others”).
  • This critique informs feminist and intersectional theories, encouraging a more situated understanding of ethics and relationality (p. 248).
• Decolonization as an Ongoing Theoretical Practice:
  • Schueller emphasizes the necessity of continually decolonizing theoretical frameworks, asserting that colonial logics persist in contemporary global theories (“Decolonizing theory, if it has to mean anything, must be a continual process, a dialectical one of critique and self-critique”).
  • This contribution enriches postcolonial and critical theories by positioning decolonization as a reflexive and evolving methodology (p. 252).
• Critique of the World Social Forum’s Universalist Logic:
  • Schueller critiques the WSF for neglecting issues of colonialism, race, and indigeneity, highlighting the limitations of its universalizing anti-capitalist agenda (“Whose global resistance and for whom are questions we should continue to raise”).
  • This critique contributes to cultural studies and theories of global resistance by emphasizing the importance of intersectional approaches to global justice movements (p. 250).
• Advocacy for Polyversality and Ambiguous Universality:
  • Drawing on theorists like Zillah Eisenstein and Etienne Balibar, Schueller advocates for alternatives to universalism, such as polyversality and ambiguous universality. These concepts promote multiplicity and situatedness in theory (“all of us have local histories, but only for some of us can those local histories become global designs”).
  • This contribution provides tools for literary and cultural theorists to engage with global frameworks while avoiding imperialist and Eurocentric tendencies (p. 253).
• Colonial Difference as Central to Modernity:
  • Schueller underscores the role of colonial difference in shaping modernity and contemporary theoretical frameworks (“the racial fracture at the heart of modernity, is alive and well today”).
  • This insight advances postcolonial theory by affirming the inseparability of modern global structures and colonial histories (p. 249).
• Critical Engagement with Enlightenment Humanism:
  • Schueller critiques the neo-Enlightenment humanism embedded in contemporary theories, which often obscures historical inequalities under the guise of universalism (“a new humanism that doesn’t recognize the ongoing unequal history of humanism is susceptible…to forms of neo-Enlightenment humanism”).
  • This critique informs literary theory by challenging the assumptions underlying global literary narratives and theoretical frameworks (p. 248).

Examples of Critiques Through “Decolonizing Global Theories Today” by Malini Johar Schueller

Literary Work	Theoretical Lens from Schueller	Critique Example	Key Reference
Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness	Critique of universalist narratives as tools of colonial knowledge production.	Conrad’s portrayal of Africa as the “dark continent” reflects Eurocentric universalism, erasing the particularities of African cultures and histories.	“Colonial difference…knowledge construction” (p. 237)
George Orwell’s 1984	Universalizing narratives of control and resistance critiqued through colonial difference.	Orwell’s depiction of totalitarianism neglects colonial contexts of domination, where similar mechanisms of surveillance and control were already operational.	“Empire…ignores colonial violence and occupation” (p. 237)
Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale	Gendered vulnerability critiqued for erasing racial and colonial histories of oppression.	The novel universalizes women’s oppression but overlooks how colonial and racialized bodies have historically faced compounded vulnerabilities.	“Some vulnerabilities are more vulnerable than others” (p. 248)

Criticism Against “Decolonizing Global Theories Today” by Malini Johar Schueller

• Overgeneralization of Global Theories as Eurocentric
  Schueller critiques global theories like Hardt and Negri’s Empire or Butler’s vulnerability frameworks as inherently Eurocentric but does not fully engage with the nuances or attempts by these theorists to address power imbalances and imperialism.
• Limited Engagement with Non-Western Theorists
  The essay critiques Western-centric universalism but does not sufficiently draw from non-Western thinkers or frameworks to illustrate alternative models of theorizing global resistance.
• Ambiguity in Operationalizing “Decolonization”
  While Schueller emphasizes the need to decolonize theory continually, the essay lacks concrete strategies or examples of how this process might be systematically implemented in global academic or activist frameworks.
• Simplistic Dismissal of Universalism
  Schueller’s rejection of universalist theories risks overlooking their potential to foster solidarity and shared ethical principles across global struggles, which might weaken her critique.
• Potential Overshadowing of Intersectionality
  Although Schueller discusses the importance of particular striations like race and colonial difference, the emphasis on colonial critique sometimes sidelines the equally crucial dimensions of gender, class, and intersectionality.
• Undermining the Practical Utility of Global Theories
  By critiquing global movements like the World Social Forum for their Eurocentric tendencies, Schueller risks undermining the pragmatic value of such platforms in creating tangible networks for global resistance.
• Excessive Focus on Western Academia
  The analysis heavily centers on Western intellectual traditions and their critiques, leaving less room for exploring how non-Western or indigenous movements theorize resistance and power.
• Limited Consideration of Temporal Evolution
  Schueller’s critique does not adequately acknowledge how contemporary global theories have evolved since their inception to incorporate critiques of Eurocentrism and address colonial legacies.
• Selective Application of Postcolonial Theories
  The essay applies postcolonial critiques to universal theories without equally interrogating how some postcolonial frameworks might inadvertently reinforce binaries or cultural essentialisms.

Representative Quotations from “Decolonizing Global Theories Today” by Malini Johar Schueller with Explanation

Quotation	Explanation
“Such theories confront us with a postcolonial unease because they are, like the tradition of colonial knowledge production, universalizing.”	Schueller critiques contemporary global theories for perpetuating the same universalizing tendencies as colonial frameworks.
“Colonial difference continues to be central in knowledge construction, particularly in theory.”	Highlights the persistence of colonial constructs within contemporary theoretical frameworks.
“What I call global theories can operate as colonizing forces which it is our ethical task to resist, to decolonize.”	Advocates for the ethical imperative to critically engage and dismantle the colonial underpinnings of global theories.
“Hardt and Negri write: ‘Empire is materializing before our very eyes.'”	Criticizes the deterministic language used in Empire, arguing that it erases particularities and colonial histories.
“This figure of bare life, concocted out of Orientalism, becomes the justification for conditions of indefinite detention, occupation, and ethnic cleansing.”	Schueller critiques Agamben’s concept of bare life for its reliance on Orientalist tropes to explain sovereignty.
“Judith Butler’s purpose in Precarious Life is to theorize an ethics of interdependence as the basis for a world without violence.”	Explains Butler’s attempt to conceptualize vulnerability as a basis for ethical and political community post-9/11.
“Recognition involves more than simply validation, but rather an opportunity for growth.”	Reflects Schueller’s nuanced critique of Butler’s theories on recognition, while emphasizing the role of inequality.
“The WSF presents itself as a global resistance movement, but we should be vigilant about what constitutes the global and what gets left out.”	Critiques the World Social Forum for its neglect of issues like race, colonialism, and indigenous struggles in its rhetoric.
“Cultural colonialism continues to reinvent itself in ways that are unpredictable, non-synchronous, non-linear, and unfamiliar.”	Acknowledges the ongoing and evolving nature of cultural colonialism despite decolonization efforts.
“Decolonizing theory, if it has to mean anything, must be a continual process, a dialectical one of critique and self-critique.”	Advocates for perpetual self-reflection and vigilance in theory to avoid re-inscribing colonial logics.

Suggested Readings: “Decolonizing Global Theories Today” by Malini Johar Schueller

1. Richards, Patricia. “Decolonizing Globalization Studies.” The Global South, vol. 8, no. 2, 2014, pp. 139–54. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2979/globalsouth.8.2.139. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
2. Lawrence, Bonita, and Enakshi Dua. “Decolonizing Antiracism.” Social Justice, vol. 32, no. 4 (102), 2005, pp. 120–43. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/29768340. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
3. Millan, Anna, and Ali Can Yildirim. “Decolonizing Theories of Global Justice.” Decolonizing Enlightenment: Transnational Justice, Human Rights and Democracy in a Postcolonial World, edited by Nikita Dhawan, 1st ed., Verlag Barbara Budrich, 2014, pp. 195–208. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvddzsf3.11. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
4. Kim, Sue J. “Introduction: Decolonizing Narrative Theory.” Journal of Narrative Theory, vol. 42, no. 3, 2012, pp. 233–47. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24484772. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.