Compiled and designed by:
Mr. Milan Mondal, Assistant Professor, Dept. of English, Narajole Raj College
ENGLISH (CC); SEM-V: PAPER- C11T ( Background study) Colonialism, postcolonialism, decolonization and the Post-colonial Literature: A background study: —
Three decades before the 21st Century, literature throughout the world has got a special candor.
The British started to leave their colonies after World War-II because of the emergence of two super power—America and USSR. Most of the colonies have become free from colonial oppression. This situation influences almost everything from language to literature, from politics to culture and the like. With the publication of The Orientalism by Edward Said in 1978s a term has become popular among critics and theorist. The term is none other than ‘Post- colonialism’. It is very difficult to discuss the term in a nut shell because the term is pluri- significant. It is an umbrella term. To understand the term ‘post-colonialism’, we have to have an idea about ‘colonialism’.
Colonialism: —To begin with, colonialism is a situation when a certain country or a certain group of people dominates over another one. That is to say that when a certain country overpowers a weaker country or community, that state of affairs is said to be colonialism.
Generally, it started in the form of mercantilism Then it gradually influences religion, culture etc. of the indigenous people. In colonialism the foreign administrator seek advantage from the native people. Then they become the all in all of a certain country. For example, the British first came in India as merchant and then gradually they captured the Whole India. Not only in India, the British became the ruler of at least 34% of the whole world by 1800. By 1914 it increased by 84%. Though there are several opinions to define colonialism, the basic concept remains the same. Now we will give a cursory look on those definitions.
Collins English dictionary puts colonialism as “The policy and practice of power in extending control over weaker people or areas”. Webster’s encyclopedia defines colonialism as “The system or policy of a nation seeking for extend or retain its authority over the people or territories.” In his preface to Colonialism: A Theoretical overview, Roger Tignor says,
“Colonialism is a relationship between an indigenous (or forcibly imported) majority and a minority of foreign invaders. The fundamental decisions affecting the lives of the colonised people are made and implemented by the colonial rulers in pursuit of interests that are often defined in a distant metropolis. Rejecting cultural compromises with the colonised population, the colonisers are convinced of their own superiority and their ordained mandate to rule.”
Different types of colonialism: —
i. Settler colonialism ii. Exploitation colonialism iii. Surrogate colonialism iv. Internal colonialism
Compiled and designed by:
Mr. Milan Mondal, Assistant Professor, Dept. of English, Narajole Raj College
ENGLISH (CC); SEM-V: PAPER- C11T ( Background study)
Postcolonialism: —As it has already been mentioned that postcolonialism cannot be defined briefly. It is an umbrella term. It is a theoretical discourse of the late 20th century. The term came into limelight after the publication of the seminal book Orientalism by Edward said.
There are several disputes about the coinage of the term ‘postcolonialism’. Some use it with hyphen (i.e. Post-colonialism) and many others write the term only as ‘postcolonialism’.
However, postcolonialism deals with the aftermath of colonialism and its effect/affect on human culture of the colonized world. Some critics also argue that it is the continuation of colonialism.
The relationship between culture and power is the main focus of postcolonialism. Many critics are of the opinion that it is a discourse rather than a theory.
The absence of the hyphen in the term suggests that it is devoid of any concrete interpretation.
That is to say that there is a want of substance in it. But that does not mean that it is theoretically empty. On the contrary it is full with theoretical discourse and it takes multiple fields of study under its shade.
It tends to obfuscate the urgent political, economic and social crisis.
The absence of hyphen may also suggest indeterminacy.
Though it came into emergence after the theoretical liberation of the colonized countries, it bears the trace of colonialism in a new form and that is neo-colonialism. As the power structure remained unchanged, postcolonialism gave birth to neo-colonialism.
Decolonization: — The meaning is intended in the very term. The eradication of colonial rule with the establishment of self-rule to a certain country is the process of decolonization. In case of decolonization the people of a certain country win over the subjugation of the colonial ruler (s).
Post-colonial Literature: — It is known to all that literature is the mirror of the society. The social and cultural features of a certain society is reflected through literature. The literature after 1970s has gifted us a new lens to perceive each and everything. In a sense it starts with a question mark (?). Why is it this? Why is it not that? If it is so why is it not that?
Post-colonial literature questions the basic of every colonial interpretation. It addresses the questions of history, identity, ethnicity, race, gender etc. In this way the compass of postcolonial literature has been broaden day by day. Generally, the literature of the postcolonial world revokes the colonialist interpretations. That is to say that there is a clash in between colonialist and natives in postcolonial literature. Postcolonial literature refutes the colonialist voices rather it promotes the voice of ‘own’. Postcolonial literature prioritizes the language of
Compiled and designed by:
Mr. Milan Mondal, Assistant Professor, Dept. of English, Narajole Raj College
ENGLISH (CC); SEM-V: PAPER- C11T ( Background study)
the native (earlier oppressed by the colonial master). This literature helps to ‘write back’ the history of erstwhile colonized mass.
There are much more nitty-gritties in this canvas. The more we enquire the more hue will be found there. In a nut shell postcolonial literature encircles each and everything after the colonial period.
