this post was submitted on 10 Jan 2026
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[Discussion] Evaluating Decolonial Authors from a Marxist-Leninist Perspective (lemmygrad.ml)
submitted 2 days ago by Mantiddies@lemmygrad.ml to c/thedeprogram@lemmygrad.ml
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[THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON REDDIT IN R/TankieTheDeprogram ON THE 10TH OF JANUARY 2026]

Hey guys,

I wanted to open up a Marxist (and actually leftist) discussion on the topics of decoloniality, decolonial authors, and decolonial academia more generally. Specifically, I am interested in whether decolonial theory and decolonial academics are politically useful for Marxists, or whether they function as an ideological dead end.

I avoided posting this in the critical theory sub because that space is very libbed up.

As you may already be aware of not all forms of decoloniality are Marxist.

Anyways I hope the questions I provided can open up a discussion on it, you can also add separate discussion points below. This Post should help Marxist and non-Marxist foster a better understanding of an actual leftist perspective of decoloniality.

Discussion questions:

  • Are decolonial academics genuinely contributing to anti-imperialist struggle, or are they using “decoloniality” as an academic smokescreen/vanity?

  • Do academics monopolize discourse while detaching colonialism from capitalism?

  • In some cases, does decolonial academia end up silencing the proletariat, and silence Marxist voices?

  • What are your thoughts on decoloniality?

  • What would an actual Marxist approach to decoloniality look like (both academic and in the IRL liberation movements)?

I would also love to hear people’s thoughts on the following decolonial authors (and feel free to add others):

  • Frantz Fanon

  • Walter Rodney

  • Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

  • Walter Mignolo (I am aware he is not a Marxist. This might be a good case study for how decoloniality can become politically harmful)

I made an earlier post touching on this topic and postcolonialism, which you can find on both Reddit and Lemmygrad:

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TankieTheDeprogram/comments/1p51r8t/discussion_decoloniality_and_postcolonialism_in/

Lemmygrad: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/9854938

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[–] frisbird@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Why would anything be harmful purely in its nature. Marxist decolonialism would be dialectical materialism applied to the contradictions of colonialism. Non-marxist decolonialism then would either be non-materialist, non-dialectical, or both. Idealist approaches to society are obviously problematic. But just because decolonialism exists in idealist forms doesn't make all decolonialism harmful or a deadend anymore than gender and queer theory would be simply because there are reactionary TERFs.

[–] Mantiddies@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Nothing is harmful purely in its nature. What can be harmful is how discourse is appropriated and used. In my experience, particularly at Leiden University, decolonial language is often appropriated by liberals or conservatives to monopolize discussion and silence proletarian and Marxist voices rather than advance materialist anti-imperialist analysis.

[–] frisbird@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So what you're saying is that liberalism is a harmful dead-end (I assume you mean American conservatives, which are liberals).

[–] Mantiddies@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

no it was dutch, british, greek, flemish, north italian and dominican libs and conservatives using decolonial theory for the archeaology of the carribean, very elitist very conservatives. They turned me into a scapegoat, though as of 2023 the main investigators (the couple) got caught for academic abuse, bullying ad theft.

[–] frisbird@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

By conservatives you mean royalists who wish to maintain or restore monarchy?

[–] Mantiddies@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

well one of them is part of the flemish christian conservative party (which want to keep the belgian monarchy), the north italian guy is straight up a nazi they both talk about "traditionality" a lot (of a culture they are not part of, and work together). The dutch couple well they like to appropriate the language of social justice a lot to make themselves look good, but actually hate women and hate the working class they are very elitist and dont mind the dutch royal family... basically i mean nazis

[–] frisbird@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 day ago

So you're saying when Nazis and their liberal partners appropriate something, it's a dead end.

Yes. I agree.

Decolonial theory is not a dead end. Liberalism is.

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