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Ioan Alexandru GHERASIM
Corvinus University of Budapest
The very subject of colonialism, linked to the evolution of pre-modern, modern, and post-modern civilization, continues to arouse the interest of the scientific community, all the more that the concept has become enriched by the “neo-” and “post-” prefixes. A “folk” definition of the concept (beyond the rich plethora of academic ones) speaks of “a practice of domination”, which implies “subjugating one people by another”. However, this “positive” vision does not necessarily capture the whole subtlety and sensitivity of the “normative” judgments, interrogations to which such a reality lends itself. Hence, is this domination of those who possess the key of “Truth-Goodness-Beauty”, of civilization, justifiable over the terrifying barbarism? In fact, is not the history of civilization the story of the “domination” of the superior over the inferior (materially or morally), in the name of the steady enlargement of the material and moral richness of the former as against the latter? But what does such superiority, progress, civilization really mean? Which “definition” / “intuition” is to be processed and then professed equally in scholarly libraries and diplomatic offices? The questions are even more complicated by the “neo-” and “post-” prefixes.

ŒCONOMICA no. 4/2019
Keywords: colonialism, neocolonialism, postcolonialism, imperialism
JEL: F50, F54
Reminiscent or Reloaded Colonialism: On “Post-” versus “Neo-”