This panel on decolonial approaches is... messy, at best. I'm deeply suspicious of any approach that by default assumes precolonial cultures lacked violences or oppression and want to mythologise them in ways that fail to acknowledge contemporary contexts and community needs.
If we're unwilling to acknowledge the complexity of precolonial cultures as histories that are also messy, what we're pretending (at best) to reclaim is a myth, and usually one prone to co-option by particular forms of nativism. I'm very wary of this turn to almost fetishization.
It is absolutely possible to resist colonial systems without assuming that the only way to do so is through the construction of a sanitised history. A sanitised history itself is coloniality in action; the repetition of this system is by no means decolonial.
(Will I be frothing angrily about this for the next 45 mins to 2 hours instead of sleeping? Probably.)

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Samira Nadkarni

Samira Nadkarni Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @SamiraNadkarni

5 Nov
I don't know how often I have to say this but: it's totally okay to admit that you're not well-versed enough on a topic to have anything of worth to add or publish. It's not false modesty to admit a genuine limitation, and it's okay to learn things at a pace that works for you.
I am so often confused by the resistance to this. It's okay to just be interested in a field without publishing in it or positioning oneself as cutting-edge, particularly if there's nothing of worth added by one's contribution. Not everything needs a contribution and that's fine.
I get the urge to jump on each and every publishing opportunity, I truly do; I am a magpie myself. But it is still harm to know that you're not up to a task and take up that space anyway instead of pointing it to someone who could benefit and might not otherwise get in the door.
Read 4 tweets
23 Oct
I can't say I'm surprised. I've held for a long time now that the OTW is effectively somewhere between overt white supremacists and a ridiculously apt example of Bonilla-Silva's theorisation of racism without the racists (i.e. I'm too progressive/ nice to be/ know a racist).
Not for nothing, but the assumption that antiracist work is erasure/ censorship/ is coming from "outsiders" & not those in fannish communities is absolutely white supremacy. Literally look at dog whistle discussions of CRT or any attempt to decenter whiteness; it's right here.
The claim that all these "outsiders" are seeking to destroy the ~greatness of the AO3 by asking for policy to deal with racism sits in parallel to entire histories of global anti-immigrant/ antiblack rhetoric. Zero recognition that POC have long asked for this/ helped build this.
Read 12 tweets
19 Oct
#LRT A reminder that Adani has been so heavily involved in environmental destruction across multiple countries that this claim to be invested in renewable energy is (mediocre) PR at best. For anyone looking for a starter on this, here you go: adaniwatch.org
We should remember that Adani's sponsorship of the Science Museum is hardly the most ridiculous thing we've heard, as he is seeking to speak at COP26 - a fact that almost everyone with an ounce of common sense has called a blatant attempt at greenwashing. marketforces.org.au/adani-must-not…
Also, a reminder that the protest to save Hasdeo and stand with Adivasi communities is ongoing. Adani's actions aren't abstract climate injustice; they displace and harm Adivasi communities, harm ecology, and actively work against climate change: article-14.com/post/chhattisg…
Read 4 tweets
16 Oct
Taking a break from writing tonight. Settled in with my yuzu tea and listening to this lecture by Tanya Titchkosky:
As she's discusses accessible toilets, I'm flashing back to my own ex-institution that added in one accessible toilet (for the NAAC points) but insisted on keeping it locked with the key in the principal's office. Despite all my efforts, I could not get them to leave it unlocked.
Their assumption was that it would be non-viable to keep the toilet clean if all students could access it (ridiculous), and cleanliness was repeatedly used as justification for inaccessibility (eliding the real reason: it was serving as a private toilet for the vice principal).
Read 5 tweets
8 Sep
I've just read the standfast and am already headdesking.
"Within three to six years, he imagined ships being repurposed as floating medical clinics." THIS IS ALREADY A THING. THEY HAVE BEEN A THING SINCE WWI.
The most ridiculous thing about this article is that it's arguing a lot of stuff like it's the most far-fetched thing you've ever heard, but a lot of it is fairly generic ideas in maritime. Large-scale floating platforms are already an investment hub.
Read 54 tweets
22 Aug
Pondering the ramifications of livetweeting my watch of #TheGreenKnight. How horny is too horny for main? Cause we're going to approach that event horizon VERY rapidly, friends. Lockdown has been a LONG dry spell.
Oh, I really like this mix of lute with the percussion of the water dropping! Nice. #TheGreenKnight
This film gets straight into a wet Dev Patel wandering about putting a loose shirt on. I THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE MORE TIME TO BRACE. NO ONE LOOK DIRECTLY AT ME, DAMMIT. #TheGreenKnight
Read 321 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(