![• TERMINOLOGY: The significance of the prefix "post-" in "postcolonial" is a matter of contention among scholars and historians.
The contention has been influenced by the history of colonialism, which is commonly divided into several major phases;
the European colonization of the Americas began in the 15th century and lasted until the 19th, while the colonization of Africa and
Asia reached their peak in the 19th century.
• Differing opinions in regards to the postcolonial status of nations established through settler colonialism, such as the United States,
Canada, Australia and New Zealand.[6]
Ongoing neocolonialism in the Global South and the effects of colonialism (many of which
have persisted after the end of direct colonial rule) have made it difficult to determine whether or not a nation being no longer under
colonial rule guarantees it's postcolonial status.
• "Post-colonial" or "postcolonial"?
The consensus in the field is that "post-colonial" (with a hyphen) signifies a period that comes chronologically "after" colonialism.
"Postcolonial," on the other hand, signals the persisting impact of colonization across time periods and geographical regions.[10]
While
the hyphen implies that history unfolds in neatly distinguishable stages from pre- to post-colonial, omitting the hyphen creates a
comparative framework by which to understand the varieties of local resistance to colonial impact. Arguments in favor of the hyphen
suggest that the term "postcolonial" dilutes differences between colonial histories in different parts of the world and that it
homogenizes colonial societies.[12]
The body of critical writing that participates in these debates is called Postcolonial theory.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/literatureinthepostcolonialworld-250119162341-861be829/85/Literature-in-the-Postcolonial-World-pptx-4-320.jpg)
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Literature in the Postcolonial World.pptx
- 1. Literature in the Postcolonial World
- 2. Although colonialism has existed since ancient times, it is most usually associated with European colonialism, which started in the 15th century across countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean Islands, and South America. Postcolonialism is both an academic framework as well as a temporal classification that deals with the period that came after the end of colonialism. • Colonialism is a practice where a population is ruled by another country. Colonisation involves extracting resources from the colony and imposing the coloniser's social practices and cultural values on the colonised. Colonialism is criticised today for its exploitative nature and for weakening and disrupting the indigenous economic and especially cultural traditions in the colony. There are different types of colonies based on the relationship between the colonised and the coloniser, such as settler and non-settler colonies. While many European nations such as Belgium, Spain, Portugal, and France had colonies in different parts of the world, Britain had one of the biggest colonial empires, and therefore, the history and impact of British colonialism are studied more widely. • Imperialism is a practice or policy of exerting control over a population through direct or indirect means. It is easy to think that imperialism and colonialism are the same practice; they are closely connected but not synonymous. Although both are systems based on power and control, imperialism differs from colonialism in that it can be achieved through means other than direct rule or force. For example, Western countries today exert degrees of influence on developing nations economically, politically, and culturally. Imperialism continues to this day in different ways, whereas colonialism is no longer acceptable as a social system. • Postcolonial literature includes literature from former colonial nations as well as works that are about the practice and legacy of colonialism and the postcolonial experience of the descendants of the colonised. Though postcolonial literature is not exclusively written in English, postcolonial literature in English enjoys more fame and attention, partially because of the dominance of English on the global stage. Postcolonial literature is the literature by people from formerly colonized countries, originating from all continents except Antarctica. Postcolonial literature often addresses the problems and consequences of the decolonization of a country, especially questions relating to the political and cultural independence of formerly subjugated people, and themes such as racialism and colonialism. • The twentieth century was marked by anti-colonial rebellions and resistance movements from colonies all over the world. We can identify several contributing factors that inspired the rise of postcolonial literature: 1. The introduction of English education made the native communities proficient in English, enough to be able to read, write, and speak English. 2. Pro-independence movements against colonial authorities inspired the colonised subjects to write fictional and non-fictional accounts of life under colonial rule, sometimes as a part of the anti- colonial resistance. 3. Globalisation and the free flow of commodities across nations gave an incentive for postcolonial writers to seek global fame for their creative efforts in English. 4. Writers of postcolonial backgrounds broke away from their regional and indigenous modes of storytelling by adopting the language and narrative models of the West. This is seen simultaneously as a consequence of cultural disruption as well as an act of co-opting the language of the colonial authority to express native sentiments and stories.
- 3. • Postcolonial literature characteristics Postcolonial literature is not a watertight genre that carries certain assured characteristics. It is an umbrella term used to group together works by writers from postcolonial nations and those written about the impacts of colonialism. However, there are certain overlapping or recurring themes. Postcolonial literature challenges the mainstream narratives about colonialism and colonial populations by presenting the other side of the story and humanising the characters who are often portrayed through colonial stereotypes. Postcolonial literature functions as a vehicle to display talent from erstwhile colonies and to present postcolonial cultures to counter stereotypical narratives around them. • Themes of postcolonial literature Some themes that usually feature in works of postcolonial literature. Hybridity The concept of hybridity was proposed by the literary scholar and theorist Homi K. Bhabha (b. 1949) to describe how the encounters between different cultures create new identities that contain elements of both. Hybrid identities and belonging to different worlds at the same time are common themes in postcolonial literature. Language Cultural encounters are rarely only about power. Other aspects of culture, such as language, are always susceptible to influences. The language in postcolonial fiction is particularly worthy of mention as the writers attempt to capture their native situations and characters in a foreign language. As a result, creative deviations in the use of language are common in postcolonial writing. History The notion that history is a single, unified story is increasingly challenged by scholars and historians. It is sometimes the case that some groups or experiences are left out of popular history. Postcolonial literature also works as an alternative way of writing history from the Point of View of an individual or a particular community. Hierarchy of power Most social relations include power struggles. Power is distributed in society along the lines of gender, race, wealth, religion and so on. The inequality in the relationship between the colonial masters and subjects is explored in remarkable ways in postcolonial fiction. The postcolonial condition or the consequences and impact of colonialism are present in postcolonial writing more often than not. Intertextuality Often, local themes, myths, and art forms make an appearance in postcolonial fiction. Sometimes the myths are directly inspired by epics and mythological narratives from folk or oral literature of the region. Intertextuality: the connection between two texts of the same or different formats, achieved through direct or implied references. Othering A social practice stemming from overt or implicit biases that cause certain sections of society to be treated as less than or inferior to other, sometimes more dominant groups in a country. Othering may be based on race, language, religious beliefs, and nationality.
- 4. • TERMINOLOGY: The significance of the prefix "post-" in "postcolonial" is a matter of contention among scholars and historians. The contention has been influenced by the history of colonialism, which is commonly divided into several major phases; the European colonization of the Americas began in the 15th century and lasted until the 19th, while the colonization of Africa and Asia reached their peak in the 19th century. • Differing opinions in regards to the postcolonial status of nations established through settler colonialism, such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.[6] Ongoing neocolonialism in the Global South and the effects of colonialism (many of which have persisted after the end of direct colonial rule) have made it difficult to determine whether or not a nation being no longer under colonial rule guarantees it's postcolonial status. • "Post-colonial" or "postcolonial"? The consensus in the field is that "post-colonial" (with a hyphen) signifies a period that comes chronologically "after" colonialism. "Postcolonial," on the other hand, signals the persisting impact of colonization across time periods and geographical regions.[10] While the hyphen implies that history unfolds in neatly distinguishable stages from pre- to post-colonial, omitting the hyphen creates a comparative framework by which to understand the varieties of local resistance to colonial impact. Arguments in favor of the hyphen suggest that the term "postcolonial" dilutes differences between colonial histories in different parts of the world and that it homogenizes colonial societies.[12] The body of critical writing that participates in these debates is called Postcolonial theory.
- 5. • A range of literary theory has evolved around the subject. It addresses the role of literature in perpetuating and challenging what postcolonial critic Edward Said refers to as cultural imperialism. • Postcolonial fiction writers deal with the traditional colonial discourse, either by modifying or by subverting it, or both. Postcolonial literary theory re-examines colonial and postcolonial literature, especially concentrating upon the social discourse between the colonizer and the colonized that shaped and produced the literature. In Orientalism (1978), Edward Said analyzed the fiction of Honoré de Balzac, Charles Baudelaire, and Lautréamont (Isidore-Lucien Ducasse), exploring how they shaped and were influenced by the societal fantasy of European racial superiority. He pioneered the branch of postcolonial criticism called colonial discourse analysis. • Eurocentrism: Eurocentrism (also Eurocentricity or Western-centrism) is a worldview that is centered on Western civilization or a biased view that favors it over non-Western civilizations. The exact scope of Eurocentrism varies from the entire Western world to just the continent of Europe or even more narrowly, to Western Europe (especially during the Cold War). When the term is applied historically, it may be used in reference to an apologetic stance toward European colonialism and other forms of imperialism. • Postcolonial Literary Theory • Postcolonial Literary Theory is a critical approach and discourse that focuses on works of postcolonial writers or works written about postcolonial societies. Postcolonial criticism also includes reading a work of literature without direct colonial associations to look for underlying colonial themes. For example, plays by Shakespeare, such as The Tempest (1611), are analysed using postcolonial perspectives. • Colonial and Postcolonial Literature: Migrant Metaphors (1995), written by Elleke Boehmer, traces the history of colonial and postcolonial literature. Boehmer provides a detailed overview of the evolution of literature in the colonies and the narratives around them. Among the significant works on postcolonial theory are The Location of Culture (1994) by Homi K. Bhabha, Empire Writes Back (1989) by Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths and Helen Tiffin, The Wretched of the Earth (1961) by Franz Fanon, and Orientalism (1978) by Edward Said. Other influential names related to postcolonial theory include Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and Robert J. C. Young. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------