The Colonial Boomerang

SYMPOSION, 2006

A spectre is haunting Europe - the legacy of colonialism. In the postcolonial era the primal scene between the colonial master and his former slaves has gradually assumed new shapes, as the former barbarians no longer can be held at a safe distance. Europe is hereby undergoing a bewildering identity crisis regarding its past, present and future. Who and what is the master where there no longer are slaves? In this book Michael Azar lays bare the return of the repressed within European history, depicting the colonial boomerang as it comes home to roost after centuries of merciless violent Western expansion. The essays in the book uncover the movements of the boomerang from the so-called discovery of America, via the occupation of Iraq to the rise of right-wing populisms in contemporary Europe.


”Ought to be imposed reading for every Swedish party leader." Dagens Nyheter(Stefan Helgesson)

"At his best, Michael Azar reminds us of giants like Susan Sontag. The very moment you think that you have understood something, he forces you rethink again ... and again." Borås Tidning