#nonimperially

[russia-libertaire]

The Union of Salvation

'The first Russian secret society, the Union of Salvation, began with a restrictive and nonimperial concept of the nation: its initial aim was "resistance to the Germans in the Russian state service." However, it soon broadened its agenda and turned to promoting the "welfare of Russia" by advancing the idea of regulating serfdom, or possibly abolishing it and transforming the autocracy into a constitutional monarchy. This was the first time a political movement had been created in Russia with such an ambitious aim, and how it was to be accomplished was never really settled. To give the movement's ideas wider currency, the Union of Salvation turned itself into the Union of Welfare, with a public arm devoted, like the masons, to philanthropy, education, justice, and morality. These were laid out in a Green Book, which bound every member to seek public office if possible, but in any case to promote the aims of the union through personal example, practical activity, and the denunciation of official abuses. Members were required to be male, Christian, nonserf, and Russian. The exclusion of serfs was characteristic … the Union was unambiguously elitist, as its concept of citizenship implied. The Green Book did not recommend freeing the serfs, merely treating them humanely on the grounds that "subordinates are also people." The members of the Union later became known as Decembrists, because of the attempted coup in 1825 which grew out of their activity. But most of them, even those in its secret wing, had no definite political strategy in mind. For the most part, if they took its ideals seriously, they did so by trying to live out its precepts in everyday life. As Iurii Lotman has shown, they were trying to overcome the duality which existed between the Enlightenment culture in which they had been educated and the reality of life at court and on their estates, where most relationships were unadornedly hierarchical. They did not so much reject social etiquette as try to behave as if they really felt the sentiments normally expressed only for convention's sake. Many of them rejected the prevailing patriarchal notions of family life, seeing marriage not mainly as a means of perpetuating the rod (kin), but rather as a partnership of two equal adults joined by mutual affection and committed to the humane upbringing of children. In reaction against hierarchy and frivolity, they practiced an intense cult of sincerity and friendship among equals. The poet Aleksandr Pushkin grew up in this environment, and although he was never a Decembrist himself, his early poetry celebrated precisely those ideals. They were part of the atmosphere in which young nobles lived; the main significance of the movement was that its members tried to practice them consistently even in a discouraging environment.'

Russia and the Russians, by Geoffrey Hosking

[asklordcaptaincastronova]

What is one theme/storyline/idea you wish to write but never have?

(Amadeus getting freaked out by not being seen as human by something nonImperial)

[itsagrimm]

Imperial!Tech 3

Summary: Tech's chip activated instead of Crosshairs so Tech is now an imperial commander tasked to serve the Empire at any cost. But is he willing to do so? And are you, dear Y/N as member of the experimental Elite Squad, willing to follow any order your commander Tech gives?

CN: self-harm, talk of death murder and war crimes, stalker behaviour, soldier life in a fascist state, power imbalance, overreaching behaviour, structural violence, sexually predatory behaviour and the likes, sensual overload, insomnia, references of drug abuse, depression and mental health issues, trauma

Imperial!tech X they*them Y/N reader, afab

Thanks a lot to @eyecandyeoz for your insight, feedback and thoughts. Check out their lovely blog!

I am sorry it took me so long. next part will be faster. I already started writing it.

And feel free to criticise especially concerning my use of CN and if the reader perspective is inclusive for you.

2800 words

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4

Tech collapsed into the chair as soon as Y/N had left the room. He was tired, so tired. He leaned back and put on his glasses. Him taking off his visual aids around Y/N was a degree of trust Tech rarely allowed. He was nearly blind without his glasses and the Kaminoans had considered terminating him for that. Tech was sure Y/N did not even know how much he had surrendered himself to Y/N and their touch. Their oh so soft touch. The memory of it was still fresh on his skin. It raced through is mind which for once was craving to match his body with the need to slow down and take a rest.

But it didn’t.

Y/N was pleasant to be around. Their touch was careful and considered. Only his brothers used to treat him like his. – His brothers, the former clone force 99, had left him behind after they refused to comply with order 66. Due to their divergence the inhibitor chip had not worked while he, Tech, had tried to kill the Jedi. – He had tried to kill a child. – The effect of the inhibitor chip was decreasing. His wound received on Bracca had an 84,743 % chance of damaging the inhibitor chip. But he should investigate further and get the chip out to stop any possible interference with his superior thought process. - Y/N was not aware of the inhibitor chips. He felt the need to tell them. Why? – The Havoc Marauder had not been mentioned on the imperial comm chatter for a while. – Echo was likely to take care of the ship now. – He should get some sustenance. He felt hunger. – Y/N – The Empire expected a degree of loyalty, uniformity, and compliance he was unsure he could deliver for long considering his diverging mind. – what would Hunter do? – the kaminoan proverb “yn’ja tha vaí m°O” was untranslatable into Basic but could be understood in Sit Bisti as “it needs tö be döne för the betterment öf äll”- The Empire was unlikely to grant him the freedom to find his brothers or in fact any freedom. – The canteen might serve Tiingilar tonight – He was a child slave destined to die in approximately 34,6 standard yearly rotations from old age if not sooner. – maybe the canteen will serve uj’alayi too. – Does Y/N speak Mando’an? He should enquire. – Of course, there will be no uj’alayi today. The Kaminoans did not allow sweet foods. – Y/N – How did the atmospheric controls work that ensured breathable air even for the highest floors of coruscanti buildings? - He knew why his brothers left him behind, but why did it feel so painful. – The empire was likely to kill him if he out served his usefulness for them. - He had tried to kill a child. He had killed several children on Onderon. How could he live with that? How could-

Tech forced his thoughts to stop by digging his fingers into his bloody scar.

The sharp pain felt soothing.

“Let’s consider making a list of the most pressing tasks for now.”

He starred at the ceiling.

“The Empire. It is the closest threat to my demise, but it can be my salvation if I am useful. Am I willing and capable to do that?”

His head started spinning again just at the thought of killing another child for the Empire. And yet serving the Empire gave him purpose he wasn’t sure he could muster on his own.

“Where are my brothers? How are they? How do I feel about them?”

Another unpleasant wave of thoughts and feelings washed over Tech before he continued.

“What is with the inhibitor chip inside my head?”

He nodded to himself. That was a rational and containable problem with fixed variables and clear answers. He felt comfortable with that question, pushing aside all the things he might have done due to being under the chips influence.

Only one question was left now.

“Why do I enjoy Y/N presence?”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryloth had a warm and dusty climate during daytime. Y/N felt sweat dripping under the dark armour. The elite squad, including a new ES-03, was ordered to stand close by to Admiral Rampart, the highest imperial officer on Ryloth. And so, they had spent the last rotations following the Admiral around, doing tedious security work and presenting themselves like the Admirals favourite guard dogs to a public very much disliking their military presence. For once, even commander Tech looked annoyed about their not spec-ops appropriate services.

Today they were on the outlook. The Admiral wanted them scanning a large crowd for troublemakers and resistance fighters during a public announcement. Y/N couldn’t blame them. The Twi’lek of Ryloth had spent years fighting for their independence and spilled an ocean of blood on the dusty planet’s surface only to face an Empire now. Half a life ago Y/N would have hated themselves for being a soldier in service of a suppressing ruler. But now it was paid work.

“ES-01?”, Commander Tech brought Y/N back from their thoughts

“I am in position before the crowd.”

“ES-02?”

“Yes sir, I am on the building as you ordered.”

“ES-03?”

“Any nonimperial transmissions are being blocked now.”

“ES-04?”

“The war hawk is ready for take-off in case we need it.”

“Good. Do you register any noteworthy activity?

Y/N gazed through the crowd. They were mostly Twi’lek, waiting to hear from their leaders. All of them were in civilian clothing, none came with visible weapons.

“I can’t spot anything, sir.”

Tech said nothing. But Y/N could hear him type something.

“Analysing previous rebel fighter behaviour and strategies in similar situations they are likely to appear at these coordinates within the crowd today. I am sending you a list for you to especially pay attention to, ONCE.”, he finally said using the moniker the elite squad had given Y/N.

“Yes sir.”

Y/N looked at their holopad and started checking the coordinates commander Tech had calculated. At entry four they spotted their targets.

“Commander. I have a visual about 40 meters from my position, 10 o’clock. There are two fighters. Twi’lek. One female and one male passing. Shade of blue and orange.”

A moment everyone was silent.

“Confirmed.”, ES-02 stated.

Another moment passed.

“Observe them for now. Stay alert.”, Tech ordered before ending the transmission.

High above the Twi’lek senator started to talk. Y/N could not remember his name and paid little attention to his words. Unlike the Twi’lek.

“They are not happy.”, ES-02 stated flatly.

“Yeah thanks, I would not have noticed without you.”

“Always a pleasure to help out, ONCE.”

ES-02 was right. The crowd was angry. The imperial presence, the empty words of some disaffected politician, the fresh memories of the clone war. It was no surprise that the Twi’lek called out for their resistance leaders to speak.

“We want Syndulla! We want Syndulla!”, the crowd chanted.

A different voice from above started speaking. The crowd calmed down, not entirely happy but at least not a raging mob.

“At least we will not have to gun them down, now.”, ES-02 mumbled with a bitter voice.

“Would you really do that, two?”

“You know what they say, good soldiers follow orders, ONCE. And I intend to be one. Especially when I’m getting paid for it.”

XXXXXXXXXXX

Rampart was an asshole. He was a smug little administrator, willing to lie, back-stab and sacrifice whatever needed to achieve his goals. Rampart was the perfect general to handle a loaded situation like the one on Ryloth. And he was no fool.

Y/N hat noticed that he had kept both commander Tech and Howzer, the commanding clone trooper in charge of the regular clone troopers on Ryloth, close. A strategic move. Spec-ops commandos like the elite squad and regular commandos were in constant competition and mistrust to each other. Should one commander not deliver or even consider treason the other would interfere. And Rampart would always end up on the winning side of their clone infighting.

Y/N could here their arguing inside the office.

Commander Tech had ordered for Y/N to wait outside the office for new orders.

More arguing from the office was audible until finally Ramparts voice cut their bickering short.

The door opened and Howzer left. His expression was that of a practised reserved solider hiding his worries.

The door opened again, and commander Tech stepped outside of Ramparts office.

He looked tense.

Instead of a greeting or an order he just started walking. They followed him.

“Clone force 99 is here. But we are kept on a short leash. As always.”, Tech stated, “It is implausible to not use the best tools possible when confronted with a problem. Howzers troopers will not be able to beat them if necessary. Just like they won’t be able or unwilling to beat the Twi’lek should the need arise.”

Since Kamino the commander had started to share more of his thoughts with Y/N. All they had left to do was to listen and ask the right questions.

“Sir, you think Howzer will commit subordination?”

“There is a possibility of him and his men disagreeing with the new imperial leadership and it’s methods. Howzers unit has fought alongside the Twi’leks the past years. Bounds forged in the trenches can be stronger than loyalty to an administrator from Coruscant. But I require further data to assess the likelihood of treason.”

“What about clone force 99?”

“Their abilities and erratic strategies will be a challenge should we … no, should I have to face them.”

“So, we did not get the order to hunt them down?”

“No. Not yet.”

“And yet you already imply them as of importance.”

“It would be a grave strategic mistake to dismiss their presence.”

“So, what is the elite squad going to do about them? What are your orders, sir?”

Tech paused and adjusted his glasses.

“We are going to do nothing.”

“Sir!?”

“Don’t.” There was a warning in his voice. A signal to Y/N not to cross a line, invisible yet perceptible. He was after all a commander and Y/N just a soldier.

“I am sorry. I overstepped. You are in charge.”

He turned, stepped away and looked at Y/N. His eyes scrutinized them like a scientist inspecting a rare specimen of remarkable value.

They shivered.

His gaze was intriguing. It was painful to feel on display like that. And yet it was nearly intimate to be studied by Tech. Unsure if he would finally hit Y/N for their countless discretions or if he just contemplated their objections.

Finally, Tech nodded appeased and continued his walking without any further talk.

“What do you want us to do now, sir?”

Tech stopped.

“What do I want you to do now?”, Tech repeated as if the question had a different meaning to him than it had to Y/N.

He took out his holopad only to put it away again. He cleared his throat.

“I need you to stay alert. The situation is complicated. For now, get some sleep. The chances are below 4,65 % that there will be a significant development within the next two hours. After that I except the elite squad to be combat ready.”

“Yes sir.”

XXXXXXXXX

The Refresher room was empty. Most clones avoided the elite squad, and all the other members of their unit were taking a nap before the night shift which left Y/N to have the large washroom for themselves.

They signed.

Taking a shower and having some alone time to think and feel before finally taking a rest was what they needed.

Y/N started to strip out of the armour.

First, they took of the helmet, then the vambraces and shin guards before getting the shoulder pieces and lifting the heavy breast armour off before finally getting out of the abdomen armour. The black katarn fell to the floor, making loud echoing noises.

Y/N didn’t care. No one was to correct them on their improper handling of equipment here.

And as much as the armour was a useful necessity, it was a heavy burden in more than one way.

Their blacks followed and soon Y/N was standing under the refresher, naked and alone.

The water was hot and painful.

It was a welcome distraction to all the feelings of … well what exactly?

Y/N felt tears running down their face.

No, no, no. It’s just the refresher.

An uptight sob escaped Y/Ns throat. It was all so different from what they imagined. They had entered imperial service for the payment during a desperate time. And ended up witnessing murder after murder, committing murder.

Today they could have become accomplices to killing a crowd of innocent Twi’leks. And Y/N knew that they would have complied with the order to open fire on the civilians if given. How could they not? Surrounded by troopers like them, ordered around by heartless and calculating commanders.

Would Tech give a killing order like this?

Was he that heartless?

He had done so before.

He had killed so many times before their eyes and yet a piece of Y/N refused to see him as a murderer. In fact, they felt shameful about feeling and thinking about Tech – about their commanding officer – at all.

Y/N stopped fighting the tears and cried out loud.

Nobody would know about this.

Nobody would know about their doubt and vulnerability.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As always sleep had been an unwilling friend to visit Tech. With a sigh he gave up and got up from the cot. As always, his mind was racing. He had tried the breathing techniques Crosshair taught him after a particular long stretch of insomnia, but it didn’t work.

And Tech wasn’t in the mood to experiment with the vast collection of sedatives to force his body to sleep right before possibly facing his brothers and definitely meeting admiral Rampart soon.

Work it was then.

His holopad listed only unchallenging administrative tasks.

The new Shuttle was in top shape.

His weapons were cleaned.

Tech had nothing to keep is overthinking brain in check.

Kriff, his life really was miserable. A never-ending effort to bringing his spiralling mind some peace.

A notification came in.

What a blessing.

Tech looked at the holopad again. It was just a reminder to check on his subordinates, to listen in on their private talks and vital signs.

The order from Imperial Command was an uncomfortable task but it was the best he had to do right now. And listing in on some snoring was better than listening to the elite squads talk like last time. At least it felt less overreaching.

He started with ES-04 and workout down from there. Four was in deep slumber, nothing of interest to note. ES-03 was still new and his sleep was restless, a few murmurs about his home planet and family escaped his lips. ES-02 was dreaming. His heartrate was accelerated. Tech turned his observation of, not interested in the rutting sounds of ES-02.

ES-01 was left. ONCE. Y/N. The thought of peeping into their private life was not only uncomfortable, but it also felt violent to strip Y/N of their peace and privacy.

And yet, Y/N was the only one Tech WANTED to know more about. He felt his desire to learn more about Y/N like a physical need, an addicting obsession Tech knew he needed to be careful with not to indulge.

Was their slumber peaceful and sweet?

Did they have dreams about home?

Or did they fight their nightmares in sleep just like they did awake?

He swallowed.

He was just following an order.

He will do nothing more.

He was just a good soldier.

Y/N wasn’t asleep. Their bucket was off and there were no vital signs coming of them. But the acoustic signal was working.

Y/N was somewhere with a lot of echoes and running water.

Tech felt himself blushing and getting hot.

They were in the shower.

It felt so right to listen in on Y/N. Tech felt bad about it.

The thought of water running down their bare and naked body made Techs mind slow like nothing ever before. The pleasure of a calm mind made him groan.

He hesitated. This was not okay. He shouldn’t listen. He shouldn’t imagine a subordinate like that. He hated that he had to. He hated that the Empire gave him order to do so. But more than that he hated himself for following that order so willingly.

He reached for the off button on his holopad.

A sob.

Was that Y/N? Were they crying?

Tech’s mind went from zero into overdrive. He needed to know who or whatever made you feel like crying. He would find out. And he would remove whatever it was from your life.

Part 4

[bookofjin]

Andrew Chittick’s The Jiankang Empire in Chinese and World History is overall a very interesting read, which I recommmend, but I feel like he at times pushes his arguments beyond what the evidence really supports.

On p. 374 he writes: “The Wangs of Langye were virtually the only nonimperial clan from the Chu region noted for cultural sophistication and achievement at Jiankang, and they gained that reputation only after they migrated south; they had not been prominent in Luoyang under the Western Jin regime.”

But while Wang Dun was dismissed by some as country bumkin, he still managed to get married to one of Emperor Wu’s daughters, and his kinsmen Wang Rong (later canonized as one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove) and Wang Yan were leading courtiers of the day, as was his granduncle Wang Xiang during the 260s. I find it difficult to see how much more prominent the Wangs of Langye realistically could have become during Western Jin?

[louiseissummer]

Var går gränsen?

Var går gränsen? En essä om föreställningars makt.  

A. Adu Boahen poängterar vid ett flertal tillfällen i​ African perspectives on colonialism ​ att historieskrivningen om Afrika är präglad av, eller kanske rentav domineras av, eurocentriska föreställningar, “imagination of these eurocentric historians” (s. 44, 1987)  Utan att i detalj vidröra vad dessa eurocentriska föreställningar bestod och kanske består av, speglar detta ett intressant fenomen teoretiskt sett. Det handlar således om vad som står skrivet, men lika mycket om vad som inte står skrivet. Historieskrivning är aldrig neutral utan reflekterar alltid ett visst perspektiv, ett visst värde. Med sin text vill Boahen förmedla att det vi tar för givet att vara en riktig bild av kolonialismens historia är de facto skev och att bilden är i behov av att nyanseras.    Att nyansera bilden är precis vad Boahen också gör. Det får hävdas att en mer dynamisk bild uppstår avseende de samhällen existerande innan kolonialismen tog vid, de olika metoder för att motarbeta kolonialmakterna samt de olika konsekvenser kolonialismen förde med sig. Allt detta är av högsta intresse. Vad som dock kom att göra ett särskilt intryck, och som kan spegla det Boahen vill understryka, är de förändringar och distinkta skillnader kartan av Afrika genomgick. En karta är statisk, en ögonblicksbild av en viss politisk kontext. En karta är inte verklig, neutral eller naturlig. Tvärtom är en karta en återspegling av ett visst perspektiv, ett visst värde; alltså, en karta skulle kunna hävdas vara en föreställning. Det är med utgångspunkt i detta som essän syftar till att gestalta och reflektera kring diskrepansen mellan verklighet och föreställning, mellan rum(karta) och tid(historia), och att det som är en föreställning likväl blir en verklighet.     “...space is fundamentally static while time is dynamic. Paradoxically, therefore, the historicization of territories takes place through the obscuring of their history; territories are largely assumed as the fixed, natural ground of local histories. The territorialization of histories, in turn, occurs through their fixation in nonhistorical, naturalized territories.” (F. Coronil, s.543, i The development reader, 2008) F. Coronil beskriver i sin artikel hur de kartor som existerar i vår samtid kontinuerligt återinför imperiala föreställningar om samhällen och människor. Denna imperiala föreställning innebär att viss historia, vissa uttryck och erfarenheter utelämnas. Således kan geografiska inrättningar och gränser, som rent faktiskt och kanske med störst effekt ska generera en konkret och riktig bild av vår värld, de facto skapa illusioner kring denna.  Kartor som skapades under imperial och kolonial tid är således inte enbart geografiska utan i hög grad diskursiva. De representerar en spatial föreställning vilken producerar en viss mental bild, en viss karta, av världen. I detta skapas “the center” och “the periphery”, “ the occident/west” och “the orient/east”. Trots att dessa koloniala kategorier uppstod relativt nyligen har de accepterats med stort genomslag. Genom att etablera och förankra dessa föreställningar, har de blivit ett slags andra natur, en verklighet.  Föreställningarna vilka kartorna förmedlar är således värdeladdade där de tidigare koloniala makterna fortsatt kan utöva en i vart fall psykologisk domination. Den koloniala kartan blir en del av människors kollektiva förmåga att föreställa sig, förstå och angripa sin omvärld. Därmed reflekteras den koloniala kartan i de behov som människor uttrycker.    Hur den kollektiva förmågan att förstå och befatta sig med sin omvärld är något som även Boahen (1987) reflekterar kring. Den största negativa påverkan som kolonialismen förde med sig var enligt Boahen av psykologisk dimension (s.107, 1987). En mentalitet karakteriserat av det koloniala förtrycket innebar en förlorad känsla av mänsklig värdighet inom den afrikanska befolkningen. Genom systematiskt förtryck och en rasdiskriminering vilken genomsyrade alla samhälleliga aspekter kom de koloniala makterna att lämna föreställningar vilka överlevde den rent faktiska territoriella makten.​ ​Dessa degraderande föreställningar, vilka rättfärdigade kolonialismen i stor utsträckning, uppstod dock successivt över en längre tid innan kolonialismen. Kanske är det nödvändigt att en föreställning får växa fram långsamt, att gränserna förskjuts gradvis, och inte på ett drastiskt sätt för att kunna anammas och förankras psykologiskt. Det bör logiskt sett vara när man inte märker eller reagerar som en föreställning de facto uppfattas att vara just verklig.    Michel Foucault utarbetade ett antal idéer avseende modern makt och kontroll. Foucault visade hur vissa diskurser genomsyrade samhälleliga institutioner vilka kom att kontrollera individers beteenden, men framför allt kom individer själva att kontrollera sina beteenden. Diskurserna blir således förankrade psykologiskt bland individer att individerna själva reproducerar diskurser utan att en samhällelig institution nödvändigtvis utövar makt. Reproduktionen av föreställningarna sker alltså omedvetet och skulle kunna sägas utgöra ett slags indirekt makt. Utifrån detta argumenterar McClintock (1995) att de imperiala/koloniala makterna över lång tid har degenererat den afrikanska befolkningen genom olika diskurser, och hur dessa diskurser fått fäste att växa och reproducera sig på ett obegränsat sätt. Okritiskt och utan någon vidare reflektion reproduceras vissa föreställningar som de vore naturliga, som de vore verkliga. “The social power of the image of degeneration was twofold. First, social classes or groups were described with telling frequency as “races,” “foreign groups,” or “nonindigenous bodies,” and could thus be cordoned off as biological and “contagious,” rather than as social groups. (...) Poverty and social distress were figured as biological flaws, an organic pathology in the body politic that posed a chronic threat to the riches, health and power of the “imperial race.” Second, the image fostered a sense of the legitimacy and urgency of state intervention, not only in public life but also in the most intimate domestic arrangements of metropolis and colony.” (McClintock, s.34, i The development reader, 2008) Genom sådana diskurser kom de koloniala makterna att skapa en degraderad bild av den afrikanska befolkningen som underlägsen och betraktad i förhållande till en universell (vit, överlägsen) standard. Således skapades en förkroppsligad karta över sociala skillnader. Däri rättfärdigades att den afrikanska befolkningen blev subjekt till våldsam statlig kolonial kontroll.     Denna föreställning, som Boahen ovan beskriver, kom att påverka den afrikanska befolkningen psykologiskt. Dock är det inte enbart där som föreställningen fått fäste. Vid en närmare granskning av samtida utvecklingsdiskurser kan tendenser från degraderade föreställningar fortfarande uppenbaras. Framväxten av utvecklingsdiskurser sammanföll nämligen med dekolonialiseringen av Afrika. Diskurserna kom således att innefatta strategier vilka implicit vilade på antaganden om kulturella och rasmässiga skillnader. “By the time the development apparatus was deployed, the ideas of racial and cultural difference, developed by anthropologists in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, were already part of political, sociological, and common sense views. Because they view physical and territorial characteristics as expressions of mental (intellectual and moral) traits.” (Silva, 2014, s. 41, Race and development, i ​The companion to development studies ​ ) Vad som de facto är föreställningar om skillnader kom således att betraktas som “natural attributes of persons and places.” Enligt Silva (2014)  råder det en tystnad kring relationen mellan utveckling och ras men sällan finns en förklaring till varför. Tystnaden dock möjliggör att dessa föreställningar om rasmässiga skillnader kan reproducera och upprätthålla en maktskillnad nödvändig för att legitimera utvecklingsprojekt. Återigen används föreställningen om ett degraderat Afrika för dominering. “These natural (biological or cultural) truths, which are signified in bodies and territories, serve to naturalize the effects of (past) colonial and (present) global capitalist architectures of economic exploitation.” (Silva, 2014: 42) I samma linje talar J.S. Furnivall att “Colonial policy, though still directed with primary reference to the interests, real or imagined, of the colonial power, must now be justified to world opinion with reference to world welfare.” ( s. 107, i The development reader, 2008) Föreställningen som tog form under kolonialismen har alltså fått ett annat epitet men innebär likväl att den kvarstår.     Diskrepansen mellan föreställning och verklighet är mycket komplex och var gränsen går är omöjlig att dra. Föreställningar är inte föreställningar om de inte är subtila och svåra att definiera. Det är nämligen precis då, när det i vart fall kan fastställas att något är diffust, som föreställningen får makt. Det är när man inte reagerar som föreställningen fyller sin funktion; det är då som gränserna har förskjutits. Detta gör saker och ting ännu mer komplicerat. Om en föreställning är oriktig och rentav diskriminerande men ständigt tar ny form, får nya gränser, och därav inte kan upptäckas; hur ska föreställningen då angripas?     Vad som säkert kan konstateras är att kartor, bilder och symboler verkar som föreställningar och däri tjänar vissa särskilda intressen och syften. En karta är inte verklig utan en föreställning; den ger sällan en rättvisande bild av den historia som tagit plats.  

Källförteckning: Boahen, A. Adu, 1987, African perspectives on colonialism, New York, Diasporic african press. Coronil, F., 1996, Beyond occidentalism: Toward nonimperial geohistorical categories, I The development reader, 2008, New York, Routledge. McClintock, A., 1995, The lay of land, i The development reader, 2008, New York, Routledge.  Furnivall, J.S., The background of colonial policy and practice, 1948, i The development reader, 2008, New York, Routledge.  Silva, D. Ferreira., Race and development, 2014, i The companion to development studies, New York, Routledge.