Afterall's Decoronalisation Reading List Links Pandemic to Decoloniality
On 14 April 2020, Afterall journal released a reading list curated by managing editor Adeena Mey, linking the Covid-19 crisis to decolonial perspectives. The term 'Decoronalisation,' inspired by philosopher Jérôme Lèbre, is introduced alongside 'Decolonisation.' Mey draws parallels between the pandemic's segregation of communities and Bong Joon-ho's film Snowpiercer (2013), highlighting the normalization of confinement and the emergence of class and racial disparities. The list, sourced from Afterall's archive, opens with a dialogue between decolonial theorist Walter D. Mignolo and curator Wanda Nanibush, stressing decoloniality as a journey to liberate ourselves from colonial language. It also features Alice Ming Wai Jim's insights on Lee Wen's 'yellowness' and Nora Taylor's analysis of Thảo Nguyên Phan's Voyage de Rhodes (2014–17), addressing pandemic-related xenophobia. The aim is to illustrate how decoronalisation aligns with decolonisation in the arts.
Key facts
- Afterall published a reading list on 14 April 2020
- The list was curated by Adeena Mey
- The neologism 'Decoronalisation' is borrowed from philosopher Jérôme Lèbre
- The list connects Covid-19 pandemic to decoloniality
- It includes a conversation between Walter D. Mignolo and Wanda Nanibush
- Alice Ming Wai Jim discusses Lee Wen's performing of 'yellowness'
- Nora Taylor reads Thảo Nguyên Phan's Voyage de Rhodes (2014–17)
- The list addresses xenophobia towards Asians during the pandemic
Entities
Artists
- Adeena Mey
- Jérôme Lèbre
- Walter D. Mignolo
- Wanda Nanibush
- Alice Ming Wai Jim
- Lee Wen
- Nora Taylor
- Thảo Nguyên Phan
- Bong Joon-ho
- Michel Deguy
Institutions
- Afterall
Sources
- Afterall —