Jenseits des Naturzustandes. Eine postkoloniale Lektüre von Hobbes und Rousseau

The state of nature is a fundamental concept of modern political philosophy. As such, it is particularly associated with Thomas Hobbes' and Jean-Jacques Rousseau's work. As the following article shows, the state of nature is not simply an auxiliary construction [Hilfskonstruktion] for a theory that aims to clarify the relation between the political order and its origins and normative principles. It is also a figure of thought that introduces colonial images into political philosophy. The following reading of Hobbes and Rousseau, which also draws on image analysis, traces how their conceptions of the state of nature are constitutively linked to imaginations of the savage that emanate from contemporary colonial discourses. Moreover, by comparing the writings of Hobbes and Rousseau it becomes apparent that the colonial difference increasingly takes on a systematic relevance. This development further contains significant similarities with the changing use of gender differences in political philosoph

Switzerland and ‘Colonialism without Colonies.’ Reflections on the Status of Colonial Outsiders.

In this essay the theoretical focus of postcolonial theory has been shifted from the cultures and societies of former formal colonies to those countries that have an explicit self-understanding as an outsider within the European colonial power constellation. Using the example of Switzerland, it analyses the presence and perseverance of colonial structures and power relations in a country that has never been regarded as or understood itself as an official colonial power. In a first step, we compare present debates on colonialism in Switzerland with those in neighbouring countries, i.e. France, Germany, Italy and Austria. In a second step, we trace previous research that postulates a link between Switzerland and colonialism, and apply the concept of ‘colonialism without colonies’, which, in contrast, engages with methods and themes that have emerged from postcolonial studies. Finally, we present a specific case study on ‘Swiss commodity racism’ in order to elucidate the concept ‘colonialism without colonies’

Prolog: Mehr als ein Schlagwort: Dekolonisieren (in) der postkolonialen Schweiz

The text takes as its starting point a statement recently made by the philosopher Sushila Mesquita, who expressed her concerns that "decolonial" might become another buzzword, quickly losing its radical force. This raises the question of what makes decolonizing possible as a practice that cuts across academic, activist, political and cultural elds, and that aims at transforming rather than rearranging current regimes of power. The article takes this question up with reference to novel research findings. It argues that while race constitutes a crucial category of social organization in Switzerland, its significance tends to be strongly denied. It further maintains that groundbreaking attempts to decolonize cultural and educational institutions have emerged in the past few years. However, these approaches are still marginal as well as marginalized, and need more recognition if they are to have an impact

Colonialism without colonies: examining blank spaces in colonial studies

Introduction to special issu