Caroline Elkins: “Authoritarianism is part of the colonial legacy”
Why do conversations about colonial history feel especially urgent right now? Author Caroline Elkins (Jaipur LIterature Festival) In many ways, I think of the past as a setting, as a prologue. The past sets the stage for the beginning of our story. But it doesn’t necessarily set the stage for the end of it. And so when we think about the urgency of the colonial experience in the present-day circumstances, we need to focus on both the ideas and practices and legal systems that were bequeathed to formerly colonized populations. Even though it’s been 50, in some cases over 75 years, many of those practices and legal systems still remain in place. For me, much of my work looks at states of exception and emergency regulations, and the ways authoritarianism is really part and parcel of the colonial legacy. We see it play out over and over again. We certainly see it here in India, we’re seeing it right now in Palestine, and we can also see it even in the United States today. Do …
