Coloniality of Disaster: Racial Capitalism and the Governance of Humanitarian Crises

Dr. Adrian Mbembe
Professor, Department of Political Economy,
University of Cape Town, South Africa

Journal: International Journal of Global Humanities and Management Insights
Volume: 1 | Issue: 3
DOI: 10.63665/ijghmi-y1f3a003

Received: 17 June 2025
Accepted: 05 July 2025
Published: 15 July 2025
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Abstract

This essay examines how the governance of humanitarian crises is structured by coloniality and racial capitalism. It argues that disaster management reproduces global hierarchies through economic extraction, surveillance, and epistemic control, positioning the Global South as vulnerable and the Global North as authoritative. Through theoretical analysis and case studies, the paper critiques contemporary humanitarianism as a continuation of colonial power in modern form.

Keywords

Coloniality of Power, Racial Capitalism, Humanitarian Governance, Disaster Colonialism, Global Inequality, Postcolonial Theory, Disaster Management, Decolonial Studies, Neoliberalism, Humanitarian Aid

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