ABSTRACT
Neocolonialism is an old habit, a habit both in the sense of way of dressing and inhabiting and as a settled and comfortable way of being. It is just as much historical and economic as it is cathectic and haptic. The neocolonialist habit is widespread and obvious in the postcolonies. The hierarchic us-versus-them binary structures identity not just of the postcolonies but also that of metropolitan centers. The colonialist relationship, with a dominating and caretaking metropolitan center with the colonies as its charge, was after all structured along a classic parent-child paradigm. Colonial ships carried missionaries to China, who settled there and subsequently produced detailed accounts of life and order during the Qing dynasty. These illustrated accounts made their way to Europe where they were avidly read and citied by Enlightenment thinkers, particularly those who were keen to demonstrate non-Church based moral and political orders.
