Rescuing the Enlightenment from the Europeans: Critical Theories of Decolonization (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781478029458)

In Rescuing the Enlightenment from the Europeans, Nikita Dhawan puts the critical project of decolonization into conversation with the Enlightenment. She explores the ethical-political challenges faced by postcolonial thought, which must be articulated using the very language of Enlightenment discourses on human rights, democracy, international law, sovereignty, and justice--even as these norms are subjects of postcolonial critique. Bridging postcolonial and Holocaust studies while also highlighting differences from decolonial approaches, she engages with thinkers ranging from Kant to the Frankfurt school to defend them against accusations of normative nihilism, antisemitism, and epistemic servitude to Europe. Dhawan argues that criticizing the Enlightenment and its legacies does not necessarily entail rejecting them, nor does engaging with Enlightenment principles mean endorsing them unconditionally. Instead, she makes a case for rescuing the best aspects of the Enlightenment in order to further the critical project of decolonization.

Author: Nikita Dhawan
ISBN-10: 1478029455
ISBN-13: 9781478029458
Publisher: Duke University Press
Language: English
Published: 02/03/2026
Pages: 382
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.26lbs