314. DSC 201- 5:4- Postcolonialism (3)

1. Summary

A:- Postcolonialism is defined as a period of time representing the aftermath of the Western Colonization of African, Eastern Europe, and Asia. To understand postcolonialism, one has to understand colonialism first. Colonialism as a concept is the practice of one country forcibly assuming power over and responsibility for another country. It also refers to a period of history for which this practice was most prevalent, from the 15th-20th centuries. This is also known as the modern period for colonialism. There are three major periods of colonialism: premodern, modern, and neocolonialism.

Premodern colonialism mainly refers to a time before Western Civilization during the Greek and Byzantine Empires. During this period, Arabs, Vikings, Romans, and some Christians held colonies throughout the Mediterranean, Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, North America, present-day Russia and Ukraine, France, Sicily, and even the Baltic Islands. However, with the birth of Western Culture, Catholicism, Modern European powers, and modern warfare, colonialism moved into the modern era.

The modern era of colonialism refers to the most prevalent period of colonialism (as aforementioned). This period began when the Portuguese Prince, Henry the Navigator, initiated the age of exploration (and by extension colonialism) by setting up trading posts in Africa. After Portugal made the first move, other European powers, namely Spain, Portugal, Britain, France, The Netherlands, and Prussia (Germany) expanded their respective colonial reach as well.

Postcolonial Theory

Since postcolonialism refers to the time period in which society deals with the consequences of colonialism, postcolonial theory is the body of thought that is most concerned with the economic, historical, and cultural impact of European colonial rule. Under the umbrella of postcolonial theory is postcolonial literature, where many famous authors have written classic, transformative novels that have realistically portrayed the way native communities were affected by colonialism.

Postcolonialism refers to the time after colonialism and the study of its consequences. Postcolonialism follows premodern and modern colonialism, which was the practice of seizing governmental control over another country or piece of land. Postcolonial theory is the body of thought that reflects on the cultural, economic, and historical impact of colonialism.

In many works of literature, specifically those coming out of Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent, we meet characters who are struggling with their identities in the wake of colonization, or the establishment of colonies in another nation. For example, the British had a colonial presence in India from the 1700s until India gained its independence in 1947. As you can imagine, the people of India, as well as the characters in Indian novels, must deal with the economic, political, and emotional effects that the British brought and left behind. This is true for literature that comes out of any colonized nation. In many cases, the literature stemming from these events is both emotional and political.

The post-colonial theorist enters these texts through a specific critical lens, or a specific way of reading a text. That critical lens, post-colonial theory or post-colonialism, asks the reader to analyze and explain the effects that colonization and imperialism, or the extension of power into other nations, have on people and nations.

Effects of Colonization

As mentioned, post-colonialism asks the reader to enter a text through the post-colonial lens. The chart will help you see how to approach a post-colonial reading of a text. As a reader, you would look for the effects of colonialism and how they are addressed through the plot, setting, and characters' actions.

2. List of Postcolonial theorists

A:- Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, Frantz Fanon, Chinua Achebe, Gayatri Spivak, R. Siva Kumar, Dipesh Chakravorty, Buchi Emecheta, Jamaica Kincaid, Salman Rushdie, Asis Nandy, Sara Suleri, Albert Memmi, Paul Carter, Robert J. C. Young, Ngugi wa Thingo, 

3. Postcolonial Theorists

A:- Edward Said

Edward Said's book Orientalism in 1978 is considered the foundational work on which post-colonial theory developed. Said, then, could be considered the 'father' of post-colonialism. His work, including Orientalism, focused on exploring and questioning the artificial boundaries, or the stereotypical boundaries, that have been drawn between the East and West, specifically as they relate to the Middle East. In doing this, Said focused specifically on our stereotypes of Middle-Easterners; however, these same ideas can be extended to include how we view all 'others.' This is the 'us-other' mentality that many colonizers take with them into a new country. Such simple generalizations lead to misconceptions and miscommunications, which are often the basis of post-colonial analysis.

Homi Bhabha

Homi Bhabha's work, including The Location of Culture in1994, focuses on the politics, emotions, and values that exist in the space between the colonizer and the colonized. In other words, cultures are more than 'us' and 'other'; they are the sum of their histories. Bhabha likes to use the word 'hybrid', meaning composed of mixed elements, to describe post-colonial people and experiences. In doing this, Bhabha focused on the collective effects of colonization on peoples and cultures.