Rahul Rao Analyzes Decolonization's Enemies and Friends

In an essay published by Afterall on April 14, 2021, Rahul Rao examines the divergent threats to decolonization posed by conservative opponents and liberal proponents. He contrasts UK Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch's October 2020 dismissal of decolonization as unnecessary—claiming the curriculum is not colonized and attacking critical race theory—with a November 2020 Al Jazeera piece by Jason Hickel calling for democratization of the World Bank and IMF. Rao argues that Hickel's reformist approach empties decolonization of its radical potential, while conservatives like MP Steve Baker better grasp its subversive implications. The essay draws on theorists including Lee Edelman, Eve Tuck, K. Wayne Yang, and Sylvia Tamale to argue that decolonization must involve material redistribution, not just symbolic change. Originally part of ArtSchool's Decolonisation in the 2020s series, the essay was produced in partnership with Museu de Arte de São Paulo, UAL's Decolonising Arts Institute, and Goldsmiths Department of Visual Cultures.