ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how global justice challenges in the 21st century are inextricably intertwined with processes of colonization and imperialism that culminated in post–World War II processes of decolonization. Colonization and imperialism were political projects that rested on the assumed superiority of European civilization. State sovereignty, international law and international trade are all practices that were shaped by the colonial experience. However, many of the early debates over global justice did not address the historic context of global inequalities. Global justice was merely a project for the Global North to be applied to the Global South. In order to explore linkages between contemporary global justice challenges and processes set in motion centuries ago, this chapter begins with a brief introduction to the practice of colonialism. It is followed by three legacies of colonialism that continue to impact global justice today: inequality, race and the state system.
