The West's Monsters Are Turning Inward | Prof. Aghogho Akpome

The world is not going through a "new crisis" just because the West is in trouble. Most parts of the world have been in crisis for hundreds of years due to the West doing fine. That's what's coming to an end and it seems it is this prospect of the end of exploitation that is scaring the elites into a frenzy against their own populations.Kyoto University Symposium 2026: "Geopolitics in the Time of Monsters"Presentation 12: Aghogho AkpomeAghogho Akpome challenges the idea that today’s crises mark a new age of monsters, tracing their roots through colonialism, capitalism and Western knowledge systems. Drawing on literature and African histories, he argues that prosperity for a minority has depended on exploitation elsewhere. The discussion explores modernity, socialism, cultural difference and the meaning of the West, with participants challenging and refining his claims. Akpome concludes by advocating decolonial thinking, shared interests and solidarity across societies rather than new hierarchies of supremacy.Aghogho's Links:University profile: https://www.arts.unizulu.ac.za/dr-a-a...Research publications: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4538-360XNeutrality Studies Links:Neutrality Studies Substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comSupport Neutrality Studies: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateNeutrality Studies shop: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopTime Stamps00:00 Literature and a decolonial perspective02:36 The long age of monsters05:45 Colonial wealth and the global majority13:55 African histories and colonial violence26:55 Historical amnesia and a system turning inward32:16 Western knowledge and decolonial alternatives39:29 Discussion: modernity, capitalism and socialism48:36 Solidarity, cultural difference and the meaning of the West