DBN Manifesting
by Augustina Cai and Yining He
In the constellation of colonial-related concepts, the history of decolonisation might be as long as colonialism in itself. However, it wasn’t until the 20th century that it truly developed into a global social and political movement.【1】 After the establishment of nation-states of previous colonies, postcolonial critique emerged, marking a phase where theorists further examined and reflected on the profound impact of colonial history on contemporary society, including its language and ideologies, material culture, economic development, infrastructure, education system, etc., defining a universally recognised postcolonial condition. 【2】
In this context, to describe colonial history’s presence today as “haunting” or “ghostly” seems to have become a rhetorical consensus among scholars and artists. It seems that its “body” has already vanished with the establishment of nation-states, leaving only an intangible presence. Yet ghosts might not be entirely bodyless. Ghosts are considered bodyless only because we, as human beings, cannot perceive them, an inability rooted in our understanding of our own body’s existence. Similarly, the colonial embodiment may not have disappeared but simply escaped our naive recognition. Therefore, new decolonial theories and practices for the 21st century must be deeply rooted in our perception and cognition. Perhaps the colonial ghost exactly embodied is our very own Being and those being(s) we possess. What needs to be decolonised are our modes of thinking, ways of learning (unlearning), and the ethical foundations of our values and belief systems.
However, when I reach this conclusion, a warning voice emerges simultaneously within my mind: is unlearning a regression? How should we treat the “progress” achieved throughout colonial history (assuming universal progress exists, even though there might be no)? Is there a universal value system that can guide us in discerning our entangled reality and what parts of it are worth preserving and reinterpreting? Besides, a more pressing concern arises: in the current global context of growing parochial nationalism, how can decolonial practices, which were initially designed to promote justice in the Global South, prevent themselves from transforming into new forms of oppression? Contemporary decolonial practice appears to be an endless struggle with itself—attempting to deconstruct the very history that shaped our existence. Each subject in this struggle navigates a tightrope, confronting cliffs on both sides.Each subject in this struggle is like walking a tightrope, with cliffs on either side.
And yet, we still must move forward. Holding hands and supporting each other is the only way to move forward when everyone is walking on a narrow path.Holding hands and supporting each other is the only way to move forward when everyone is on a tightrope.
As art practitioners and researchers with Sinophone roots, defining our position and understanding the unique and complex nature of our postcolonial and neo-colonial condition is a primary challenge. Colonial issues within Sinophone cultural contexts both overlap with and differ from the typical colonial phenomena shaped by European imperialist expansion and settler colonialism in regions like Africa and Latin America. These differences include the presence of colonial actors from both East and West and the fluid roles of colonisers and the colonised across diverse historical and regional contexts. Moreover, an even greater challenge lies in transcending our own historical context and experiences to empathise with and understand the postcolonial realities of other regions and cultures worldwide. This involves engaging in meaningful dialogue with a multitude of entities beyond the Global North.
To avoid being overwhelmed at the outset, we need a supportive network—a starting point and foundation for dialogue with shared perspectives. Concepts like coloniality, increasingly adopted by Latin American and African peers, offer a more inclusive entry point for exploring the extraction of material and cultural resources from “other” regions. We must extend our perception and thinking to the minutiae of everyday life, shifting perspectives to recognise how colonial embodiment coexists with us. At the same time, we must strive to navigate the universality and the specificity of diverse colonial phenomena and find a way out of the dichotomy of naïve globalism and extreme nationalism.
Thus, new interpretations of “decolonisation” nowadays pose further questions: beyond analysing and understanding the condition of it, how can we act? Propelled by tonnes of theories, practices, perceptions, and reflections, “we” established Decolonial Being Network (DBN)—a transnational actant network of artists, researchers, curators, and cultural practitioners committed to revealing and communicating the pervasive coloniality embedded in contemporary being(s) while envisioning a decolonial future. Through cross-regional and trans-cultural initiatives—including panel discussions, exhibitions, field research, workshops, and writing and publication projects—DBN seeks to uncover the power structures and epistemic systems entangled behind the phenomenal existence of various modes of being(s); to understand their impact on culture, politics, economics, art, and the environment. Inevitably engaged in the global decolonial discourse, DBN strives to challenge the current North Atlantic-centric knowledge paradigm and foster a space for pluralistic, localised, and decolonial comprehensions.
【1】 A historical overview on the development of decolonisation and related concepts, particularly focusing on the relationships between decolonisation, anti-colonialism, post-colonial studies, and neocolonialism, see: Martin Thomas and Andrew S. Thompson, eds., “Rethinking Decolonization: A New Research Agenda for the Twenty-First Century” in The Oxford Handbook of the Ends of Empire, First Edition, Oxford Handbooks (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018):
【2】At the turn of the century, as a result of the resistance movements and critical theoretical developments in the latter half of the previous century, postcolonial theory began to be compiled and published in writings. For example: Robert J. C. Young, Postcolonialism: An Historical Introduction, Nachdr. (Malden: Blackwell, 2001).
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