Abstract

In previous work, Professor Roy made the case for the relevance of postcolonial theory in the reconstruction of urban studies.  That reconstruction requires tackling the epistemological persistence of Eurocentrism in the production of conceptual categories and the deployment of modes of universalization.  In this seminar, Professor Roy will seek to continue such dialogues by pinpointing key aspects of Eurocentric thought as whiteness.  At a historical moment of resurgent white supremacy, she will examine the debates about this form of disciplinary power and its effects. Specifically, she suggests that postcolonial theory and critical race studies, especially when read together, can challenge the proprietary prerogatives of whiteness and make possible a different ontology of theorization and a different history of knowledge.