This text brings together critical voices to respond to the questions raised by the concept of the "post-colonial". The contributors move from imperial histories to today's hybrid metropolitan youth cultures, from African-American writings to uneasy mixtures of nationalisms and religion in the post-colonial city. Together they expolore the diverse cultures and disparate narratives which are shaping an increasingly volatile global future. In confronting the concept and condition of postcoloniality, the contributors move beyond overworked metaphors of integration, the melting pot and multiculturalism. Instead, they represent a plurality of voices, populations and histories coming from "elsewhere" to disrupt the Euro-American sense of where the "centre" lies. The collection includes a new piece of fiction by Hanif Kureishi.
