The Palgrave Handbook of Communist Women Activists around the World. Ed. by Francisca de Haan. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham 2023. xxiv, 701 pp. Ill. € 217.99. (E-book: € 160.49.)

Abstract

short span of time between 1945 and 1965. Might the when and the how have had something to do with inter-empire power dynamics, not least World War II?Although McNamee has not provided the theoretical or empirical justification for his subtitle ("Why States Colonize and Why They Stop"), he has nonetheless made important contributions to the study of colonization. He has demonstrated the conceptual flaws of the construct "settler colonialism", and he has shown how much is to be gained by examining the tension between "settler" and "state". He builds on this distinction to bring needed precision to interpreting multiple instances of imposed displacement and settlement. Much of his text could be a model for an examination of the important and complex relationship between decolonization and capitalism that goes beyond the unconvincing generalization that diminishes this otherwise insightful book.