The Genocide of the Palestinians and the Future of Social Theory

Abstract

This article argues that the genocide in Gaza should raise foundational questions for social theory, engendering a radical re-evaluation of fundamental questions about knowledge, the age of colonial modernity, and decolonization. Drawing on decolonial theorists and studies, I focus on what lived realities of Palestinians can teach social theory about the defining features of this stage in the age of colonial modernity, as well as the contours of a path towards decolonization. My argument is less about “decolonizing social theory,” and more about asking: what does the devastation of Palestinians tell social theorists about fundamental concepts for understanding the world, and what can it teach theorists about an alternative mode of theorizing that aims towards a cessation of colonial devastation, one that moves away from the age of colonial modernity, and charts an alternative to it.