Security, legitimacy and crisis in the aftermath of colonialism and in the midst of a pandemic: the role of state organs

Abstract

As a field, postcolonialism is influenced by the history, the impact and the aftermath of British and, more generally, European colonisation, the construction of collective identities, the production of knowledge and the representation of formerly colonised peoples. The Orient, as Edward Said argued, has been articulated and produced as a discourse through language and images. This discourse has arisen through institutions that hold power and authority, creating a geopolitical entity whose roots can be located in the context of Western dominance. This dominance not only created but also firmly established a relationship between the Orient and the Occident, a relationship marked by inequality, exploitation and criminilisation, which has come to be understood and accepted as a regime of knowledge and truth. This power relationship that enabled the colonising of the Orient still has implications now, in the aftermath of colonialism. ‘Orientalism as discourse was not just an innocent attachment to colonialism; it was politically useful when colonial powers, such as Britain and France, were conquering their colonies. From this constructionist perspective, Said’s argu-ment, then, is that Orientalism is a system of knowledge and a configuration of power that actively made colonization possible by legitimizing colonial rule’ (Koefoed & Haldrup, in International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, 2020). The discourse on the Orient and the Occident, and their relationship, was con-structed, produced and utilised both in preparation of military campaigns and wars of imperialism, and also as justification for the occupation, exploitation and the crimes committed against the inhabitants of the Orient. The horrors of colonialism did not end with the end of colonialism but have persisted in the form of alleged counter terrorist measures, proxy wars, police brutality, coups, war crimes and repeated violations of international law by former colonisers and their security services and instruments. Old and new forms of subjugation and discrimination have led to renewed questions surrounding legitimacy and security in the 21st century. Colonialism may have ended, but post-colonialism depicts