Power, knowledge, and being

The emergence and persistence of coloniality in Libya

Bibliographic Data

ID3978480
AuthorsMaddalena Zaglio (University of Geneva, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume29
Issue6
Pages961-997
Publication date2024-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of North African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1362-9387 • E-ISSN: 1743-9345
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13629387.2024.2339423
OpenAlexW4394808406
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited61

This article contributes to the debate on coloniality (Quijano Citation2000a, Citationb) by analysing the case of Libya, an Italian colony from 1911 to 1943. It demonstrates how the triple form of domination - ontological, epistemological and political-military-administrative - to which Libya was subjected during Italian colonisation, has survived its end and persists to this day in the relations between Libya and the Western world. From an ontological perspective, the Italians developed a racist representation of the Libyans, which was both the cause and the consequence of a conscious disregard of its specificities. Today, domination endures in the label attributed to Libya as a 'failed state', along with a general disinterest in the complexity of its history and society. From an epistemological perspective, the production of knowledge about Libya was dominated by Western scholars. This led to a Western perspective in which the agency of the Libyans was often neglected and to the spread of analytical and conceptual frameworks that serve the imperialistic claims of Western powers. Some of these colonialist analytical frameworks still exist in academia today. From a political-military-administrative perspective, the tendency of the Italians to exacerbate internal divisions while simultaneously imposing an inefficient model of a unified state remains relevant. This article makes two contributions: it is a case study and a theoretical one

Agency (philosophy · Epistemology · Perspective (graphical · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Representation (politics · Social science · Sociology · State (computer science · African history and culture analysis · African history and culture studies · Italian Fascism and Post-war Society · Law · Philosophy

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