Subaltern Silence: A Postcolonial Genealogy (New Directions in Critical Theory)

Subordination did not simply fade away in the aftermath of colonialism. Instead, this illuminating book shows, a host of subtle new techniques have arisen that dominate vast categories of people by rendering them silent. Kevin Olson investigates how contemporary societies silence the subaltern: sometimes a literal silencing, often a metaphor for other ways of making people unheard. Such forms of silence make some people invisible, push others to the margins, and devalue the voices and actions of still others. Subaltern Silence traces the development of these techniques to the early years of European colonialism, focusing on Haiti's revolution and postcolonial trajectory. Exploring rich archives from Europe and the postcolonial world, Olson critiques fundamental modern institutions and technologies, such as the public sphere, the free press, and even progressively minded democratic revolution, as sites of exclusion. With the emergence of postcoloniality, he argues, subordination has become increasingly abstract, virtual, and symbolic. Nonetheless, it lies at the heart of contemporary racial politics, divides Global South from Global North, and allocates privileges and burdens in ways that are often scarcely perceptible. Engaging deeply with the thought of Gayatri Spivak and Michel Foucault, Subaltern Silence offers a new genealogy of colonialism and postcoloniality that is both historically informed and theoretically rich.

Politics & Social Sciences

Olson, Kevin

Philosophy

Columbia University Press

Subordination did not simply fade away in the aftermath of colonialism. Instead, this illuminating book shows, a host of subtle new techniques have arisen that dominate vast categories of people by rendering them silent. Kevin Olson investigates how contemporary societies silence the subaltern: sometimes a literal silencing, often a metaphor for other ways of making people unheard. Such forms of silence make some people invisible, push others to the margins, and devalue the voices and actions of still others. Subaltern Silence traces the development of these techniques to the early years of European colonialism, focusing on Haiti's revolution and postcolonial trajectory. Exploring rich archives from Europe and the postcolonial world, Olson critiques fundamental modern institutions and technologies, such as the public sphere, the free press, and even progressively minded democratic revolution, as sites of exclusion. With the emergence of postcoloniality, he argues, subordination has become increasingly abstract, virtual, and symbolic. Nonetheless, it lies at the heart of contemporary racial politics, divides Global South from Global North, and allocates privileges and burdens in ways that are often scarcely perceptible. Engaging deeply with the thought of Gayatri Spivak and Michel Foucault, Subaltern Silence offers a new genealogy of colonialism and postcoloniality that is both historically informed and theoretically rich.

Since the Reagan and Thatcher revolutions of the 1980s, there has been little consensus on what welfare ought to do or how it ought to function. At the same time, post-Wall continental Europe searches for a "third way" between state-planned socialism and laissez-faire capitalism. In Reflexive Democracy, Kevin Olson takes on this contemporary conceptual crisis. He calls for a "political turn" in considerations of the welfare state, arguing that it should no longer be understood in primarily economic terms -- as a redistributive and regulatory mechanism -- but in political terms, as a means of living up to deep-seated values of political equality.
Drawing on arguments by T. H. Marshall and Jürgen Habermas, Olson proposes a conception of political equality as the normative basis of the welfare state. He argues that there are inextricable connections between democracy and welfare: the welfare state both promotes political equality and depends on it for its own political legitimacy. The paradox of political equality as a precondition for political equality is best solved, Olson argues, by guaranteeing citizens the means for equal participation. This is a reflexive conception of democracy, in which democratic politics circles back to sustain the conditions of equality that make it possible.
This view, Olson writes, is meant not to replace traditional economic concerns but to reveal deep interconnections between democratic equality and economic justice. It counters paternalistic ideas of welfare reform by focusing on citizen participation. This conception moves beyond simple equality in the possession of goods and resources to propose a rich, materially grounded conception of democratic equality.

Reflexive Democracy: Political Equality And the Welfare State (Studies in Contemporary German Social Thought)

Business & Money

Economics

Mit Pr

Movements like the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, and the Tea Party embody some of our deepest intuitions about popular politics and 'the power of the people'. They also expose tensions and shortcomings in our understanding of these ideals. We typically see 'the people' as having a special, sovereign power. Despite the centrality of this idea in our thinking, we have little understanding of why it has such importance. Imagined Sovereignties probes the considerable force that 'the people' exercises on our thought and practice. Like the imagined communities described by Benedict Anderson, popular politics is formed around shared, imaginary constructs rooted in our collective imagination. This book investigates these 'imagined sovereignties' in a genealogy traversing the French Enlightenment, the Haitian Revolution, and nineteenth-century Haitian constitutionalism. It problematizes taken-for-granted ideas about popular politics and provokes new ways of imagining the power of the people.

Imagined Sovereignties: The Power of the People and Other Myths of the Modern Age

Politics & Government

Cambridge University Press

From where I sit today I am forced to look at life from a place I never expected or wanted to be; totally paralyzed from the shoulders down, sitting in a chair that I drive by blowing and sucking in a straw, typing this book one letter at a time with a mouth stick. I never wanted to be here. I never wanted to be in a wheelchair and I never wanted to be a writer. Nevertheless, here I sit typing, because of one seemingly small decision to dive off a boat dock on July 15, 1991, at the age of 19. Shortly after my accident, I would have to make another choice that also altered the course of my life. Do I accept my unwanted circumstances? Acceptance was not a quick, easy process. God used many truths, people and experiences to teach me some big life lessons. The way He used little people was nothing short of miraculous. From a 5th grader named Miranda I learned to look beyond my limitations for things I could do instead of focusing on all the things I could not do. Through a 2nd grader named Alicia I saw that giving what I have to give is more important than what I have to give. Sierra’s out of control ride on my wheelchair ended up being the incident God used to teach me the key to trusting Him. While my 3 year old brother’s response to a bird pooping on my shoulder, challenged me to not only accept my paralysis, but really learn to “live with it.” Kevin Olson was born on August 28, 1971. He was raised on a farm just Southwest of Chanute, KS. He was an All-State basketball player who graduated from Chanute High School in the top 10% of his class in 1989. On July 15, 1991, he became paralyzed from the shoulders down as a result of a diving accident. Since 1993 he has devoted his life to kids by tutoring at elementary schools, teaching at the Cherry Street Youth Center in Chanute, traveling around speaking at schools and churches, and serving as a Youth Minister for two churches in Fredonia, KS. After his accident Kevin also obtained his Associates degree and a computer programming certification. Currently he works from home creating websites and is busy promoting his first book, an autobiography titled “Learning to Live With It.” His life motto is: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are, and don’t worry about the rest.” ----------------- Kevin is available for speaking engagements, book signings, interviews, and etc. Kevin Olson 620-431-0458 www.kevinolson.net

Learning to Live with It

Religion & Spirituality

Xulon Press

The Apple Does Not Fall: A Collection of Two Plays: And Then What? and How Many Bushels Am I Worth?

Literature & Fiction

Shklyanoy, Bena

Dramas & Plays

Independently published

Instructional book for beginning piano students

From Rote to Note: Elementary Piano Pieces That Reinforce Theory and Technique Designed to Be Taught without Traditional Notation

Arts & Photography

Lancaster, E.L.

Music

Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy, The

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Books by Olson, Kevin