Dialogue and Decolonization

A team of leading philosophers discuss the meaning, challenges and possibilities of genuine democratic dialogue across philosophical traditions.

By bringing together philosophers whose work on political philosophy, intellectual history, and world philosophies pushes the boundaries of conventional scholarship, this collaborative collection opens up space in political philosophy for new approaches. Garrick Cooper, Sudipta Kaviraj, Charles W. Mills, and Sor-hoon Tan respond to the challenges James Tully raises for comparative political thought. Arranged around Tully’s opening chapter, they demonstrate the value of critical dialogue and point to the different attempts cultures make to understand their experiences. Through the use of methods from various disciplines and cultural contexts, each interlocutor exemplifies the transformative power of genuine democratic dialogue across philosophical traditions. Together they call for a radical reorientation of conceptual and intellectual readings from intellectual history including the Afro-modern political tradition, Indigenous philosophies, and the lived experiences of societies in Asia. This is an urgent methodological provocation for anyone interested in the ethical, conceptual, and political challenges of political thought today.