The Praeter-Colonial Mind

The Praeter-Colonial Mind: An Intellectual Journey Through the Back Alleys of Empire attempts to understand the many ways in which, for good or ill, the lingering legacies of imperialism play a key role in our post-colonial societies of today. Drawing on anecdotal evidence and philosophical analysis, its contents span across the war in Ukraine, British and American imperialism, the so-called Global South, anti-colonialism and decolonization, culture wars and political violence, Trumpism, the rules-based international order, the rise of China, and the advent of AI, all against the backdrop of the author's personal experiences in America, Europe, and post-Soviet spaces. The mind that tries to make sense of all of this is the praeter-colonial mind, a mind that, in accordance with the varied meanings of the prefix 'praeter' (namely 'past, by, beyond, above, more than, in addition to, besides') sees colonialism simultaneously as past and present as it is confronted with the evidence of its many legacies. A mind that, in the end, attempts to step aside to gain perspective and go above and beyond colonialism for the sake of the present and the future.