Third World Studies

Theorizing Liberation

Author: Gary Y. Okihiro

Gary Y. Okihiro presents the intellectual history of the core ideas, concepts, methods, and theories of Third World studies-an academic field first proposed in 1968 that never existed-in order to provide tools for understanding power and ending oppression.

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Summary

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In 1968 the Third World Liberation Front at San Francisco State College demanded the creation of a Third World studies program to counter the existing curricula that ignored issues of power-notably, imperialism and oppression. The administration responded by institutionalizing an ethnic studies program; Third World studies was over before it began. Detailing the field's genesis and premature death, Gary Y. Okihiro presents an intellectual history of ethnic studies and Third World studies and shows where they converged and departed by identifying some of their core ideas, concepts, methods, and theories. In so doing, he establishes the contours of a unified field of study-Third World studies-that pursues a decolonial politics by examining the human condition broadly, especially in regard to oppression, and critically analyzing the locations and articulations of power as manifested in the social formation. Okihiro's framing of Third World studies moves away from ethnic studies' liberalism and its U.S.-centrism to emphasize the need for complex thinking and political action in the drive for self-determination.

Critic Reviews

“"Displaying his customary erudition and insight, Gary Y. Okihiro rethinks the meaning of ethnic studies, highlighting the existence of a rich but often neglected tradition of antisubordination scholarship capable of delineating and critiquing how the histories of imperialism and capitalism have shaped the fatal couplings of social identities and power. A generative and thought provoking work by a sophisticated and advanced thinker, Third World Studies will challenge many ethnic studies scholars and impact how ethnic studies will proceed to think of itself."”

"Okihiro makes an exciting and innovative contribution to the scholarship on Third World studies by analysing a range of topics. It will make an excellent reading for anyone interested in the interplay between politics and framing of subjectivities and would be particularly useful for undergraduate and graduate courses on postcolonial studies, critical pedagogy and international politics." - Ananya Sharma (Postcolonial Studies)

About the Author

Gary Y. Okihiro is Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and the author of several books, most recently, American History Unbound: Asians and Pacific Islanders.