Review of Reframing Postcolonial Studies: Concepts, Methodologies, Scholarly Activism, edited by David D. Kim (2021)

This review of the anthology Reframing Postcolonial Studies: Concepts, Methodologies, Scholarly Activism, edited by David D. Kim and published in 2021, discusses approaches towards reframing postcolonial theories and methods in contemporary sociocultural and political contexts. The review critically evaluates and contextualizes each article within the book’s broader themes of interdisciplinarity, intergenerationality, and intersectionality. By centring a conceptualization of ‘postcolonial patrimony’ – a critical engagement with the inheritance of the field – in his introduction, Kim offers a space for discussing contemporary developments of chances and limitations in postcolonial realms throughout the book. Although this review identifies missing areas, such as queer studies among others, the edited volume provides a foundation for reframing postcolonial studies. Common themes in both the contributing essays and the introduction include temporal and spatial renegotiations that aim at articulating a hopeful futurity while questioning geographical (post)colonial hegemonies. The attempt to unify old and new theories, to include contemporary developments in multiple research areas and fields of study as well as to balance critically-engaged representation and emphasize action, is largely and persuasively achieved in this volume.