On Colonial Episteme and Decolonial Sociology (Discussing the Canonization of W.E.B. Du Bois)
Kislenko I.Y.
PhD in Sociology, Affiliate Research Fellow, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA ivan.kislenko@fulbrightmail.org
Kislenko I.Y. On Colonial Episteme and Decolonial Sociology (Discussing the Canonization of W.E.B. Du Bois). Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2022. No 7. P. 3-14
The article discusses issues related to decolonial sociology based on the discussion on the sociological canonization of W.E.B. Du Bois. First of all, this paper deals with an explanation of the concept of the colonial episteme as well as with several other relevant ideas presented in the work of Ali Meghji. It also defines the key difference between decolonial sociology and Raewyn Connell’s southern theory. Critical remarks are offered on some elements of decolonial sociology in the version of Meghji. Second, the paper provides a brief description of scholarly discussions on such a topic in Russian academia. Third, this article assesses the attempts of the canonization of W.E.B. Du Bois in sociology. All these issues help to consider the prospects of decolonial sociology and its contradictions with the southern theory.
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