Hegel and Empire From Postcolonialism to Globalism [Hardcover]

This book provides a clear and nuanced appraisal of Hegels treatment of Africa, India, and Islam, and of the implications of this treatment for postcolonial and global studies. Analyzing Hegels master-slave dialectic and his views on Africa, India, and Islam, it situates these views not only within Hegels historical scheme but also within a broader European philosophical context and the debates they have provoked within Hegel scholarship. Each chapter explores various in depth readings of Hegel by postcolonial critics, investigating both the Eurocentric and potentially global nature of his dialectic. Ultimately, the book shows both where of this profoundly influential thinker archetypally embodies certain Eurocentric traits that have characterized modernity and how, ironically, he himself gives us the tools for working towards a more global vision.

Offering a concise introduction not only to an important dimension of Hegels thought  his orientation towards empire  but also to the various issues raised by postcolonial theory and global studies, this book will be of use to philosophers as well as advanced students of literary and cultural theory alike.

1. Introduction.- 2. Hegels Dialectic of Master and Slave.- 3. The Master-Slave Dialectic in Theory.- 4. Hegel on Africa.- 5. Fanon.- 6. Slavery, Capitalism, and the Imperial Dialectic.- 7. Hegel on India.- 8. Gayatri Spivak.- 9. Hegel on Islam.- 10. Reading Hegels Islam.- 11. The Dialectic of Empire.- Index.

Hegel and Empire is well organized, clearly written, and thoughtfully reasoned. Together with his thorough command of the history of philosophy, Habibs capacious knowledge of anti- and postcolonial theories and literatures beggars the interdisciplinary imagination. Alongside recent works such as George Ciccariello-Mahers Decolonizing Dialectics , Habibs Hegel and Empire is obligatory reading for those of us working toward a more globallãÂ