THE CHROMATIC WORLD ORDER: The Fiction That Rules Our World; A Brief History of its Genesis and Other Storie

Description

The Chromatic World Order argues that race, rather than being a relic of the colonial past, remains a foundational principle of the modern global order. It contends that the ideology of white superiority has shaped European imperialism, colonialism, neocolonialism, and neoliberalism over the past five centuries, while continuing to influence international politics, institutions, and knowledge systems despite post-World War II claims of racial equality. Through critical engagement with Western political thought and historical narratives, the book challenges conventional understandings of global history and exposes how racial hierarchies have been embedded in concepts of civilization, development, and international relations. Drawing on vivid historical episodes—from Columbus’s voyage on the Santa Maria and the transatlantic slave ship Brookes to the 2023 Adriana migrant tragedy—the book traces the enduring legacy of racial colonialism and its contemporary manifestations, including the War on Terror and conflicts in Gaza and Iran. It argues that race does more than facilitate exploitation; it dehumanizes, sustaining unequal global power structures while intersecting with class and gender. Written in an accessible style and supported by extensive historical evidence, the book calls for a fundamental rethinking of modern history and anti-racist struggles, presenting itself as a compelling contribution to the ongoing project of dismantling racial hierarchy and all forms of human domination.

Sajid Mohamed runs a law firm in India.

“Swift-flowing and lucid, the rhetoric nuanced and gripping. The Chromatic World Order hits hard at the Western powers that have proclaimed nation building to the world while flogging war machinery all over it for profit margins. Therefore, Sajid speaks for many when he affirms The duplicity of the West lies not merely in the execution of such horrors but also in the choreography of its moral posture.” — Professor Ajanta Dutt, Department of English, University of Delhi. Editor of Neruda, Walcott and Atwood: Poets of the Americas and Tagore’s The Home and the World.

“The Chromatic World Order *offers a compelling analysis of the hypocrisy of the West, cloaked in a rules-based world order. The underlying conviction of the West – that it is superior to the rest of the world – is examined by Mohamed with brutal frankness and clarity. He traces how, through race, imperialism, slavery, colonialism, and the history of racial science, the West perpetuates White superiority and justifies it through an apparently rules-based international order. Mohamed’s book is essential reading for all those trying to make sense of the world, the motivations behind its conflicts past and present, and why the West believes it has an inherent right to rule.” — Dr. Kavita A. Sharma, Former President, South Asian University. Former Director, India International Centre and Principal, Hindu College.