Messy Beginnings: Postcoloniality and Early American Studies edited by Malini Johar Schueller and Edward Watts

This collection of essays makes the case that it's fruitful to talk about postcolonial theory and Early American Studies together. While I found some essays more relevant and helpful than others (Jennifer Greeson's essay on Crevècoeur, Michael Drexler's essay on Charles Brockden Brown, Leonora Sansay, and Haiti, and Geoffrey Sanborn's essay on Hawthorne stand out), the collection is sharply researched and opens new possibilities of thought. I found the introduction particularly helpful as well, both in laying out the stakes of the project, thinking about what has gone before, and in situating the essays in relation to each other.