Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository


Master of Arts


Theory and Criticism


Scott Schaffer


The history of the past few centuries is the history of European colonialism. Colonialism was the conquest and control of geographies and populations through the structuration of capitalist economies and violent relationships with the colonized. Since decolonization, there have been many remnants of colonial legacy: poverty, violence, trauma, and corruption. Many colonized participate in removing these remnants, yet the struggle requires partnerships with persons who occupy the other side of the colonial question. Thus, the objective of this thesis is to adapt the notion of alliances in other fields of struggle using post-colonial theory to chart out the specific ontological nature of the global legacy of colonialism in order to create a set of ethics and responsibility required to be a post-colonial ally to those who are undergoing the decolonial struggle. The ethics and responsibility will provide a means and justification for the awareness of the legacy of colonization and how to dissolve it, as well as a way to integrate these ethics into everyday life.