Postcoloniality

This chapter examines the ontological, epistemological, and methodological locations and boundaries of postcoloniality. It traces the evolution and transitions of postcolonial theory from its origins in Commonwealth literature to colonial discourse analysis and finally to an alternative critical theory of International Relations. Tracing the theoretical journey of postcoloniality across colonial and postcolonial times and spaces reveals how and why the theory is concerned with and interested in questioning the political, economic, and cultural practices of colonial and postcolonial hegemonic powers over the countries of the Global South. The ultimate aim of this chapter is thus to establish a theoretical framework within which the colonial and postcolonial oil policies of Anglo-American governments can be analyzed from the critical perspective of postcolonial IR theory.