The “colonial object” in autoethnography: Examples from Ireland, Hong Kong, and Zambia

Abstract

This article uses autoethnography to explore objects from Zambia, Hong Kong, and Ireland, dated between 1848 and the 1990s. It explores subjective conceptualizations of the “colonial object,” and seeks to disrupt imperialist narratives as well as to decenter the white family from which its examples come. The paper discusses the objects as potential sites for developing transcultural collaboration, and examines their relevance to decolonization in the Anthropocene.