Practicing decolonial political geography: Island perspectives on neocolonialism and the China threat discourse

Island peoples around the world remain entangled in colonial processes. Western and metropolitan powers are increasingly deploying discourse of a ‘China threat’ to justify neocolonial entrenchment in the form of greater Western militarisation and economic dominance. In this paper, we investigate how...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Political geography 2021-03, Vol.85, p.102330, Article 102330
Main Authors: Grydehøj, Adam, Bevacqua, Michael Lujan, Chibana, Megumi, Nadarajah, Yaso, Simonsen, Aká, Su, Ping, Wright, Renee, Davis, Sasha
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
China threat
Collaborative research
Colonialism
Decolonial political geography
Decolonization
Discourse
Dominance
Islands
Militarization
Neocolonialism
Political geography
Threats
Warnings
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Summary:Island peoples around the world remain entangled in colonial processes. Western and metropolitan powers are increasingly deploying discourse of a ‘China threat’ to justify neocolonial entrenchment in the form of greater Western militarisation and economic dominance. In this paper, we investigate how Western and metropolitan powers use the China threat and warnings of economic, environmental, demographic, and military disaster to maintain and deepen colonial influence in former colonies, with special focus on four island states and territories: Guåhan/Guam in Oceania, Kalaallit Nunaat/Greenland in the Arctic, Okinawa in East Asia, and Jamaica in the Caribbean. We undertake this investigation as a means of practicing decolonial political geography, collaborating as a group of scholars from around the world and drawing upon diverse epistemologies and experiences to inform collaborative research and writing. Due to the complexities we have confronted in our efforts to think outside coloniality, this paper foregrounds our decolonial methodology and process, even as we respect our empirical findings.
ISSN:0962-6298
1873-5096
DOI:10.1016/j.polgeo.2020.102330