Democracy’s Subjections
Colonial Modernity and the Gendered Subject of Violence
Democracy’s Subjections
Colonial Modernity and the Gendered Subject of Violence
Description
In this ground-breaking study, Lyn Ossome offers an authoritative, interdisciplinary theory of how postcolonial capitalist democracies reproduce the gendered forms of violence essential to colonial rule.
Focussing on postcolonial African states, and using an interdisciplinary methodology that combines insights from political studies, feminist political economy, historical studies, and literary studies, Ossome shows how postcolonial, capitalist democracies in Africa, like their colonial antecedents, use various identity-markers to determine whose rights and bodies are violable, to what extent, and whether and how the violated have a right to resist. Ossome buttresses her critique through evidence gathered from colonial archives in Kenya, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, as well as through critical comparisons of three artistic responses to gender-based violence and rape in South Africa and India, all of which shows how her insights might apply across the postcolonial Global South.
Accessibility Information
Additional accessibility information
- EPUB 3.0
- Conforms with the requirements of EPUB Accessibility Spec v1.1
- WCAG level AA
- WCAG v2.2 compliant
- accessibility@bloomsbury.com
Hazards
The publication contains no hazards
Support for non-visual reading
- No accessibility features offered by the reading system, device or reading software are disabled or otherwise unusable with the product
- Has alternative text descriptions for images
Visual adjustments
Appearance of the text and page layout can be modified according to the capabilities of the reading system (font family and size, spaces, as well as color of background and text)
Navigation
- Page list to go to pages from the print source version
- Elements such as headings, tables, etc for structured navigation
- All or substantially all textual matter is arranged in a single logical reading order
- Content is enhanced with ARIA roles to optimize organization and facilitate navigation
- Purposes of all links are made clear
Table of Contents
1. Colonial Modernity and the Gendered Subject of Violence
2. Customary Law and the Gendered Constitution of Violent Subjectivities
3. “Captive Maternals” and the Modern Subject of Gendered Violence
4. Gender, Ethnicity and the Liberal Democratic State
5. “The Art of the Unspeakable”: An Anatomy of Gendered Violence in Postcolonial South Africa and India
6. Democracy's Subjections
Product details
| Published | 06 Aug 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 240 |
| ISBN | 9781350545243 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
Reviews
ONLINE RESOURCES
Bloomsbury Collections
This book is available on Bloomsbury Collections where your library has access.

























