Polyphony of Decoloniality
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15826/qr.2022.4.748Keywords:
decoloniality, postcolonialism, modernity, decolonial art, post-Soviet space, subalternsAbstract
This review presents an analysis of the collection of articles Decoloniality: Present and Future, published by the Gorizontal’ publishing house in 2022. The collection includes essays, interviews, and travelogues of Russia by foreign researchers, poets, artists, curators, and directors. The authors analyze the concept of decoloniality, consider the main strategies for living and creatively expressing oneself in decolonial scenarios, and analyze their own traumatic experience in modern post-Soviet space. The relevance and significance of this collection are determined by the relatively small number of Russian-language studies and works devoted to decoloniality, as well as the recently increasing interest in rethinking the domestic colonial past (which means both the imperial conquests of pre-revolutionary Russia and the national policy of the USSR). The collection raises questions about overcoming the consequences of the colonial hierarchy, defining the cultural identity of so-called “small” indigenous peoples and residents of countries that were part of the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union. An essential role is played by the discussion of decolonial art as one of the main strategies for the practical deconstruction of power relations and the creation of space for the polyphonic sounding of the voices of subaltern groups. According to the reviewer, this book makes a significant contribution to the development of Russian decolonial thought.
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