Dmitri M. Bondarenko. Post-Colonial Nations in Historical and Cultural Context. London: Lexington Books, 2023. vii + 354 pp. References. Index. $120.00. Hardback. ISBN: 978-1-66694-046-6.

Bondarenko delves into the concept of post-colonialism, proposing a redefinition that widens beyond political and socioeconomic frameworks to embrace cultural dimensions.In Chapter One, "The Nation and Modernity," he criticizes traditional classification, challenging established scholarly perspectives from figures like J.G. Herder and Benedict Anderson.The narrative navigates historical epochs, investigating nation-building from Europe's nineteenth-century transformations to post-colonial African and Asian struggles.Bondarenko juxtaposes secularism, modernity, and globalization, discussing that non-Western societies agree on modernization without disowning indigenous cultures.His study emphasizes that modernity, outlined by historical injustices and colonial legacies, demonstrates uniquely across civilizations.This scholarly work induces readers to reevaluate the entangled advancement of nations, cultures, and ideologies.Chapter Two, "Colonialism-Post-colonialism-Nations," systematically investigates nation-building in post-colonial societies, dichotomizing the conversion from colonial subjugation to forming independent states.The chapter explores the unease between single modernity (Western-centric) and multiple modernities, featuring the insightful differences in the historical course between the West and the post-colonial regions of Asia and Africa.Bondarenko details the colonial legacy of arbitrarily drawn boundaries, which disdained local histories and sociocultural framework, cultivating multiethnic and multipolitical tensions.The chapter explores the colonial use of ethnicity as a political tool to systemize inequality, emphasizing its persistent impact on state formation and governance.Bondarenko assesses post-colonial headship for spotlighting territorial nationalism over genuine nation-building, upholding the disassembling of colonial hierarchies.Through perceptive analysis of education, community structures, and religious identity, the chapter reinforces the challenges of accomplishing democratic civil societies in post-colonial contexts while proffering insights into the enduring complexities of these nations.Bondarenko's Post-Colonial Nations in Historical and Cultural Context systematically examines the challenges and transformations faced by post-colonial societies in Asia and Africa.The study steers two primary courses: societies hindered by colonial legacies and those gradually embracing European models.Bondarenko critiques compelled governance structures, underscoring how democratic paradigms often discord with traditional power dynamics.He explores the