Colonial Desire

Published two years after White Mythologies in 1994, Robert Young's Colonial Desire continued his ground-breaking work in post-colonial studies. In this volume he argues that contemporary theories on post-colonialism and ethnicity are disturbingly close to the colonial discourse of the nineteenth century. He argues that rather than marking ourselves off from patterns of thought which characterised Victorian racial theory, we show remarkable complicity with historical ways of viewing 'the other', both sexually and racially. 'Englishness', Young suggests, has been less fixed and stable than uncertain, fissured with difference and a desire for otherness.An exciting and original work, Colonial Desire has similarly earned classic status. In this new edition, Robert Young offers considers and responds to new work in post-colonial theory, including many projects influenced by this volume.