D Partha Chatterjee down well with English-speaking minds in a state of turmoil. I make a few comments on the predicament of western liberals, thrust with the burden of giving words to colonialism's bad conscience. In as non-Hegelian a language as I can muster, I add that the search for the distinctive character of each successive part, the last smaller than its predecessor, can only end in dissolving the object of inquiry out of existence. By then, I cannot resist asking if the quest for post-structuralist liberation is not forcing one into the delusion of getting rid of all desire, will, proprietorship and projects of power. I realize that without my wanting to I have 139 shocked my colleagues, my friends in academe. But I do not feel inclined to recant. I too think of myself as critic of both colonialism and nationalism, but I must represent them in my history in their specific determinacies: I cannot afford to lose sight of their historical presence. As I thank my friends for their contributions to the discussion, I discover once more that their concerns and mine will never be the same. Numbers 17-18