The Neocolonialism of the Global Village
Manifold Edition
Uncovering a vast maze of realities in the media theories of Marshall McLuhan
This book excavates the violent history, originating with techniques of colonial rule in Africa, that gave rise to the concept of the global village. Reassessing Marshall McLuhan’s media theories in light of their entanglement with colonial and neocolonial techniques, Nolan implicates various arch-paradigms of power (including “terra-power”) in the larger prerogative of managing human populations.
The term “global village”—coined in the 1960s by Marshall McLuhan—has persisted into the twenty-first century as a key trope of techno-humanitarian discourse, casting economic and technical transformations in a utopian light. Against that tendency, this book excavates the violent history, originating with techniques of colonial rule in Africa, that gave rise to the concept of the global village. To some extent, we are all global villagers, but given the imbalances of semiotic power, some belong more thoroughly than others. Reassessing McLuhan’s media theories in light of their entanglement with colonial and neocolonial techniques, Nolan implicates various arch-paradigms of power (including “terra-power”) in the larger prerogative of managing human populations.
For any reader interested in the intersection between media evolution, critical race theory, and colonial/postcolonial studies, and curious about their own positionality as a scholar, this thought-provoking monograph should generate some careful reflection.
International Journal of Communication
