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Hegel and Empire

From Postcolonialism to Globalism

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  • Offering a concise introduction not only to an important dimension of Hegel’s thought – his orientation towards “empire” – but also to the various issues raised by postcolonial theory and global studies

  • Provides a clear and nuanced appraisal of Hegel’s treatment of non-European cultures and of the implications of this treatment for postcolonial and global studies

  • Analyses in-depth readings of Hegel by postcolonial critics, exploring both the Eurocentric and potentially global nature of his dialectic

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Table of contents (11 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xii
  2. Introduction: Hegel and History

    • M. A. R. Habib
    Pages 1-18
  3. The Master-Slave Dialectic

    • M. A. R. Habib
    Pages 19-30
  4. Hegel and Africa

    • M. A. R. Habib
    Pages 49-64
  5. Frantz Fanon: An African Reading of Hegel

    • M. A. R. Habib
    Pages 65-74
  6. Hegel and Islam: Orientalism

    • M. A. R. Habib
    Pages 115-129
  7. Reading Hegel’s Islam

    • M. A. R. Habib
    Pages 131-138
  8. Epilogue: The Dialectic of Empire

    • M. A. R. Habib
    Pages 139-158
  9. Back Matter

    Pages 159-164

About this book

This book provides a clear and nuanced appraisal of Hegel’s treatment of Africa, India, and Islam, and of the implications of this treatment for postcolonial and global studies. Analyzing Hegel’s master-slave dialectic and his views on Africa, India, and Islam, it situates these views not only within Hegel’s historical scheme but also within a broader European philosophical context and the debates they have provoked within Hegel scholarship. Each chapter explores various in depth readings of Hegel by postcolonial critics, investigating both the Eurocentric and potentially global nature of his dialectic. Ultimately, the book shows both where of this profoundly influential thinker archetypally embodies certain Eurocentric traits that have characterized modernity and how, ironically, he himself gives us the tools for working towards a more global vision.

Offering a concise introduction not only to an important dimension of Hegel’s thought – his orientation towards “empire” – but also to the various issues raised by postcolonial theory and global studies, this book will be of use to philosophers as well as advanced students of literary and cultural theory alike.

Reviews

“As with racism or sexism, the site of contestation cannot be reduced to the individual but must be considered globally. Habib provides a valuable, concise, and accessible guide to this endeavor. … I would certainly recommend it as an introduction to the vast field of post-Hegelian modernity to which postcolonial arguments must respond, and as a guide to further reading of the work of the many scholars who have engaged in this endeavor.” (Wendy Shaw, New Global Studies, Vol. 13 (3), 2019)

“Hegel and Empire is well organized, clearly written, and thoughtfully reasoned. Together with his thorough command of the history of philosophy, Habib’s capacious knowledge of anti- and postcolonial theories and literatures beggars the interdisciplinary imagination. Alongside recent works such as George Ciccariello-Maher’s Decolonizing Dialectics , Habib’s Hegel and Empire is obligatory reading for those of us ‘working toward a more global vision’ … .” (Garry Bertholf, The Philosophical Quarterly, June 21, 2019)
“Habib's Hegel and Empire is unique in being both highly ambitious in its far-reaching scope and at the same time painstakingly precise in all its details. I sense that it will soon emerge as a classic in the field.” (Aakash Singh Rathore, author of Hegel's India: A Reinterpretation, with Texts, 2017)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Rutgers University, Camden, USA

    M.A.R. Habib

About the author

M.A.R. Habib is Professor of English at Rutgers University, USA, and currently Visiting Professor at the Gulf University of Science and Technology in Kuwait. He is the author of A History of Literary Criticism from Plato to the Present (2005) and Hegel and the Foundations of Literary Theory (2018). 

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Hegel and Empire

  • Book Subtitle: From Postcolonialism to Globalism

  • Authors: M.A.R. Habib

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68412-3

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-68411-6Published: 11 December 2017

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-88598-8Published: 01 September 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-68412-3Published: 24 November 2017

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XII, 164

  • Topics: German Idealism, Postcolonial Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Globalization

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access