In the Shadow of Colonial History

Standing Heavy is a satirical novel about postcolonialism and the consumer society, told from the perspective of three generations of undocumented immigrants from Côte d’Ivoire working as security guards. The story draws on the author’s own experience as a security guard in Paris. In Call it That by Karolina Ramqvist, the intimate relationship between two people takes center stage. Through the portrayal of an intense love affair in Jamaica, history also comes into view: the traces of the colonial era, economic and cultural power structures, and the inequalities that persist in the most intimate spaces. Together, the two authors meet for a conversation about life in the shadow of colonial history—about power that operates both in societal structures and in private relationships, about who controls the narrative, and about how literature can illuminate experiences from places and positions that have long remained at the margins of the European story.