Postcolonial Studies: The Birthplace of Anti-Science Woke
Once upon a time, colonialism meant soldiers, flags, and railroads. Now it means apologising for your Wi-Fi router because “technology is a Western construct.” Welcome to the strange journey from colonial rule to postcolonial theory to today’s intellectual circus where math, science, and reason are accused of being oppressive.
This is how postcolonial studies — once a critique of empire — became the birthplace of anti-science woke.
Table of contents
Colonialism: The West Rules
The original story was simple:
- The West believed it was destined to rule because of its “superior” civilisation, technology, and governance.
- Empires justified exploitation and cultural erasure with a blunt motto: “We’re fit to rule, so we must rule.”
Ugly, yes. Straightforward, also yes. At least you knew where you stood.
Liberalism: Equal but Not Really
Then came Liberalism with a friendlier mask. It promised equality — but only on terms set by the powerful. Everyone could gain knowledge, but some were clearly “better suited” for it. Equality in theory, elitism in practice.
In other words: the same hierarchy, just in fancier packaging.
Postcolonial Studies: Knowledge as Power
After empire came the critique. Postcolonial theorists flipped the script:
- Colonialism wasn’t just about armies and resources.
- It was also about knowledge control — science, reason, logic.
- Western institutions defined what counted as “truth,” shutting out other ways of knowing.
This critique had teeth. It exposed how “rational” systems were often used to justify domination. Language, literature, and even history were tools of empire.
But then things got weird.
Neo-Postcolonialism: The Anti-Science Upgrade
The new generation of postcolonial thinkers decided that critiquing science wasn’t enough. They went further:
- Science itself is colonial.
- Logic is a Western construct.
- Objectivity = oppression.
The activist spin-off, Research Justice, literally argues researchers don’t need to be scientific, logical, or coherent — as long as they’re outside the “Western” framework. Contradictions are fine. Incoherence is fine. Truth is optional.
Basically: anything goes, as long as it vibes with the ideology.
The Woke Pipeline: From Academia to HR
This might sound like dusty seminar talk. But it didn’t stay in academia. It leaked out — and now you hear it everywhere:
- In schools: “Math is racist.”
- In corporations: “Objectivity is a form of privilege.”
- In media: “We need to de-center Western science.”
This isn’t just critique anymore. It’s intellectual anarchy packaged as virtue.
And ironically, it repeats the very orientalism it claims to fight. By saying non-Western cultures only produce “spiritual” or “experiential” knowledge, it puts them in the same exotic box colonialism once did — just with a friendly hashtag.
Why It Collapsed Into Absurdity
Neo-postcolonialism sounds radical, but it eats itself alive.
- Without science, anything counts. Flat Earth? Valid. Crystals heal cancer? Valid.
- Contradictions don’t matter. Two opposing truths can exist if they check the right identity boxes.
- Power still wins. Instead of Western empires controlling knowledge, now it’s activist bureaucracies deciding what’s valid.
Result: endless jargon, no solutions. Real problems (poverty, infrastructure, governance) get buried under word games about “epistemic justice.”
The Real-World Joke
While postcolonial theorists debate whether gravity is colonial, actual developing nations want:
- Reliable electricity.
- Functioning hospitals.
- Roads that don’t collapse in the rainy season.
They’re asking for science and reason. Meanwhile, Western universities are busy teaching their students that those very tools are oppressive. The irony? That “oppressive” science is what made the Wi-Fi they’re tweeting on possible.
Postcolonial studies
Postcolonial studies began as a sharp critique of empire — fair enough. But its neo spin-offs birthed the intellectual foundations of anti-science woke.
Instead of empowering the formerly colonised, it infantilises them: “Don’t worry about reason or evidence, your feelings are knowledge too.” That’s not liberation. That’s condescension in activist drag.
And while activists debate whether logic is colonial, the Realists are out there fixing bridges, curing diseases, and — yes — paying the bills.
FAQ
What is postcolonialism?
A critical theory that examines how colonial power shaped knowledge, culture, and identity.
What is neo-postcolonialism?
The radical upgrade: claims science and logic themselves are “colonial tools” and not the only valid ways of knowing.
How does this link to woke politics?
It gave woke activists the script for rejecting science in favour of “lived experience” and identity-based truth.
Why is this a problem?
Because without reason or evidence, you get chaos: everything is true, nothing is false, and real problems never get solved.
What’s the alternative?
Critique power, yes — but keep coherence, logic, and reality on the table. Otherwise you’re not fighting oppression, you’re just playing word games.