Research on the negative impacts of colonialism is well-established across the social sciences. In spite of this, considerable variation exists in how postcolonial states situate their colonial histories within national narratives. Some states frame their colonial experience negatively, denouncing their former colonisers and highlighting anticolonialism as inherent to nationalism. Yet other states highlight the positive elements of colonial rule, valorising imperial institutions and situating their national identity in continuity with the colonial past. We argue that the way independence was achieved explains this variation: Countries that achieved independence through conflict developed negative frames denouncing their colonial past, while countries that achieved independence through peaceful transition developed positive frames valorising their former colonisers. Qualitative evidence from three Southeast Asian countries and quantitative analysis on a global dataset of postcolonial states corroborates the theory.

Dean Dulay is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Singapore Management University. His areas of specialization are Historical Political Economy and the Political Economy of Development. He has a regional interest in Southeast Asia, especially The Philippines. His research is published or forthcoming in journals such as The Journal of Politics, Comparative Political Studies, The Journal of Public Economics, and The Journal of East Asian Studies.