A Decolonial Turn in the Humanities

This article presents a critical survey that maps out the development and reception of the “decolonial turn” in Western Humanities. It traces its genealogical foundations, its points of overlap with and departure from postcolonial studies; illustrates its theoretical contributions; and discusses its controversial reception in the Republic of South Africa, Britain, and in particular France. The article also highlights critical zones insufficiently addressed by the field, such as its reliance on a homogenized version of “the” West and of “modernity,” its participation in the modern/colonial system itself, and the possibility of interactions without domination under pluriversality.