The Post-Colonialism

Name:Kunvarani Nidhi K

Paper:The Post-Colonial Literature

Unoit:Postcolonialiosm:  A background reading

           from:Ania Loomba’s Colonialism/Postcolonialism.

Topic:Ania Loomba’s views about Colonoialism/Postcolonialism.

S.t.d:M.A-(sem-3)

Year:October-2013

Date:25/10/2013

Submitted to: 

The Department of English

M.K.B.U

Bhavnagar.

•   Ania Loomba’s views about Colonialism/ Postcolonialism:

v Introduction :

Before further reading for the readers or students ,it’s very much necessary to know about the term ‘Colonialiosm’.In the term ‘Colonialism’, first of all first 6 letters introduces the word ‘colony’.As per the view of’Oxford English Dictionary.’ The meaning of  ‘Colony’ is-

“A Country under the Control of another and occupied by settlers from there.”

And, this term ‘colony’ creates two another terms.

Coloniozers  &   Colonized

 

It means First world country,person or things ruled over another third world country,person or things and felt them inferior,subaltern or slave in between ruler known as colonizers and whom open they ruling out they known as the ‘Colonized’.

v Roots of colonialism/postcolonialism:

There is no much difference between colonialism / postcolonialism. There are both of sit  together.It’s not like that Colonialism/ postcolonialism begans with the ending of 20^th century or after post-war.But,actually It’s roots werte in the columbus’s arrival  for the new found land and with the vasco-de-gama’.

v Colonial/postcolonial writers:

Chinua Achebe, Althusser (1971)’s work ‘Lenin and philosophy and other Essay translation, Ascroft, Griffiths(1995),Baudrillard, Homi k Bhabha, cessaire, Gayatri chakravorty spivak, Frantz Fannon,Gramasci, Mahasweta Devi, Shashi Tharu,Thiongo etc… some prominent writers of the colonial/postcolonial  writings.

v Ania Loomba:

Ania Loomba is catherine Bryson professor in the field of English at the  pennysylvania.Her popular works are:

1. ‘Gender,Race, Renaissance Drama.

2. ‘Dead Woman Tell No Tales:Issues of     

     Female subjectivity’.

3.’shakespeare, Race and colonialism(2002)

4.’Postcolonial studies and Beyond(2005)

    

There are some great and influential works of Ania Loomba.

The term colonialism is so much near to the word ‘imperialism’.

The term according to ‘OED’ it’s comes from the Roman term ‘colonia’ which means ‘farm’or ‘settlement’.It means Roman who settled in other lands but still  their deep craving for their own land.The ‘oxford English Dictionary’ defined  it as-

“A settlement in a newcountry… a body of people who settle in a new locality,forming a community subject to or connected with their parent state;the community so formed , consisting of the original settlers and their descendants and successors,as long as the connection with the parent state is kept up.”

  -Ania Loomba’s colonialism/

   postcolonialism (p.7)              

                                                             

The process of colonialism/postcolonialism today just remain for the land.But, it’s became much wider and wider. It’s based on language,land,race, gender ,attitude economy there are all those thing decides that one is ‘superior’ another is ‘Inferior’.And, Ania Loomba talked about the same things here.so let’s see-

v Ania  Loomba’s views about colonialism/ postcolonialism:

Colonialism is the physical occupation of territory and post-colonialism deals with The effects of colonization on cultures and societies.In the beginning of the book, on the publication of the  ‘second Edition’ of the book peter Hulme given few lines that-

“colonialism/postcolonialism is both a crystal-clear  ato read.”of book beachers who dents radical potential.It’s exactly the sort of book teachers who dents to read.”

-Peter Hulme ,Department of Literature,Film and The univerdsity.

Ania Loomba’s colonialism/postcolonialism.

In her book ‘colonialism/postcolonialism’.she mainly discussed about how ‘colonialism’ relevant with the person,place or anything.This book ‘colonialism/postcolonialism mainly divided in to the three Parts.

In which 1 chapter about coloniaslism/postcolonialism

 Imperialism, Neo-colonialism,post-colonial discourse etc.

2^nd chapter relates with the ‘Identities’ about Race, class ,colonialism  psychoanalysis,gender  sexuality and Hybridity.

3^rd chapter about  ‘challenging  colonialism’-Nationalism and Pan-Nationalisms,Fenminism,Nationalism, and postcolonioalism, can the subaltern speak?,post-modernism, ands postcolonial studies.

And,The last chapter about ‘Globsalisation’Colonialism/  postcolonialism .  So,let see all some views of Ania Loomba.

v colonialism/postcolonialism:

As we earlier discussed “colonialism” means first world country power over second, third and fourth  world country.This process known as colonialism/postcolonialism.

v Imperialism:

The ‘OED’ defines ‘imperial’ as ‘pertaining to empire’ and’imperialism’ as the ‘rule of an emperor, especially when despotic or arbitary;

 And, this word coined by British prime minister Benjamin in Disraeli in 1870s.And joseph chamberlain supporter of the movement.

v Neo-colonialism:

‘Neo-colonialism’ known as the ‘Neo-imperilism’ and ‘New-imperialism’ is the highest stage of colonialism. Because, in this process the strong      nation of the world rulled over the another seeking  political and economic hegemony over an independent nation or extended geographical area without  necessarily  reducing the subordinate nation or area about the legal state of a colony. The main aim of the ‘neo-colonialism’ is that ,after world  war-2 maintain control of their formal colonies and economic arrangements.

This term is also quite relevant with today also that one  powerful  nation  became superior in the comparision of less powerful nation. And,  then make others land their own that  is called ‘new-colonialism’.

v Colonial discourse:

Knowledge is always in the  power .This term take us to the Edward said’s ‘orientalism’. Even,’colonial discourse’ theory 1980 about Homi Bhabha given his views that it’s also dealt with the hybridity ,ambiovalalence and mimicry.while. Foiucault on,This ‘discourse’

 Is the complex of signs and practices that organize social existence and socialreproduction in colonial discourse.And,It’s mainly based on the ‘knowledge power’.

v  Colonial Literature:

Always War creates the vast influenced on the mind of the writers.And,it’s consciously or unconsciously comes out in the writings of the writers.For example Homi Bhabha,Aime Cessaire’s “A Tempest”,.Terry eagleton,Girish karnad’s “Hayavadana”,Gayatri Spivak’s “Can the Subaltern Speak?”, Shashi  Tharoor, Mahasweta  Devi and all some writers during the war periods wrote that type of works.

v Race:

‘Race ‘ how became the part of colonialism/postcolonialism that  Ania Lloomba discussed through the term ‘Race’.And,with this question:Are human beings essentially the same or different ?Is difference defined primarily by racial attributes?

Binary opposition of the society also proves that there are some differences in the human-beings.e.g

1)).Boy-Girl

     2).Day-Night

     3).Good-Bad

     4).Colonizer-Colonized

     5).Father-Mother

     6).White-Black

v Class:

Class and caste system always creates difference in the human-beings. For examples-

In India if a boy is well-set, well-educated, good-looking then even parents of girl does not allow them to marry with that boy just because he is belongs to the lower cast.While another example isa Hanif Kureishi’s film ‘My Beautiful Laundrett(1985)’ in which a White working-employer that as a non-white he shouldn’t evict his Caribbean tenant.The landlord replies:

“I am a Professional businessman ,

Not a professional Pakistani.”

This  example proves that the contextual language also became the question of ‘class-conscious’ and ‘Race Discrimination’.

v Colonialism & psychoanalysis :

The effect of ‘colonialism’ also creates vast influenced on the mind of the people also.Perhaps, That’ s why after war period sill in the pain of war. And, that effect of war also creates vast influenced on the mind of the writer also.For example, ‘The Black skin, White Masks’ in this novel through the mouthpiece of characters may be,  Fannon wants to present their own voice.

v Sexuality:

During the war period many some Woman’s becomes widows. So that  for their own survival they had to become victims of prostituition.And,so that in the writings of postcolonial period that thiong also comes out in the writings of writer also.For example-

‘The Waste Land’ by T.s.Eliot or ‘Black skin,White Masks’ by Frantz Fannon.In which comman people always had to suffered just because either to fulfilled their desire or need.In a way,’Sexuality’ also played vital role in the process of ‘colonialism’.

v Hybridity:

Colonialism/postcolonialism is also one kind of ‘Hybridity’.And,To accept  Hybridity’ is always problematic. And, ’Hybridity’ refers in its most basic sense to mixture. ’Hybridity’ is journey from biological to cultural discussions.

Then, third chapter ‘challenging  colonialism’.

v Nationalism and pan-Nationalism:

The idea of nation is itself paradox.The idea of ‘Nation’ is itself just Imaginastion.And,when we believe in the idea of ‘Nastion’ became ‘imperialism’.

When we imagine ‘India’ is our ‘Mother’ land.In that time invisible one more view also comes out with it.There  is ‘other’ also.Which is different from ‘Mother’ land.That’s very living example of the ‘Nationalism’ and ‘Pan-nationalism’.

v Feminism & postcolonialism:

Sometimes extreme ‘Feminism’  also  becomes part of the ‘colonialism’. Ania  Loomba quoted chatterji’s one example related with this topic in Bengali discourse.

The over educated woman is represented as becoming a ‘memsahib’ or English woman.  Who is don’t careful about her home or husband.so,In a way sometimes ‘Feminism’ or pseudo-Feminism’ is also the representation of ‘postcolonialism’.Too much education,like too little results in bad domestic  practices:

“If you have acquired real knowledge, than give too no place in your heart to ‘mensahib’ like behavior.That is not becoming in a Bengali house-wife.see how an educated woman can do house-work thoughtfully and systematically in a way unknown to an ignorant,uneducated woman.And,see if God had not appointed us to this place in the home,how a place this world would be,

                                       -Chatterji1989:247

This whole example is to make us clear about the idea of ‘Feminism’.And,sometimes ‘feminism’ became ‘pseudo-Feminism’or ‘self-Centredness’. And,given below idea of ‘subaltern’ is more helpful in understand ‘Colonialism/ postcolonialism’.

v Can the subaltern speak?

                                                                     

Gayatri  chakravorty  spivak was given the views about ‘subaltern’.And, she was the translation of such first world works as Jacques Derrida’s ‘Grammatology(1967),and such Third world works as Mahasweta Devi’s short stories ‘Draupadi’ and ‘Brest Giver’ against such diverse text wordsworth’s ‘prelude’ and Nietzsche’s ‘Spurs’ and Hoindu ‘sati’.

In an editorial published in ‘The storm-bell of jane 1898, josephine  Butler  commented that Indianwomen were.

“helpless,voiceless ,hopeless.Their  hopelessness appeals to the heart, inn somewhat the same way in which the helplessness the same way in which the helplessness and suffering of a dumb animal does,under the knife of a vivisector, somewhere halfway between the Martyr saints and the tortured ‘friend of man’,the noble dog, stand, it seems to me, these pitiful Indian women,girls, children as many of them are.They have not even the small powe of resistance which the Western woman may have…

                            -(Burton 19)

                         ‘colonialism/postcolonialism’

                          by Ania Loomba.

                           p.144

 In this Quote  she told that ‘helpless,voiceless, hopeless’.But,actually  it’s not like that.They are not helpless , voiceless or  hopeless but authority, superiority or upper-class don’t  gave them right  to raise their voice that’s why they are so.

v Post-Modernism:

Modernism was the earthquake in th arts which dominated the arts culture and brought down much of the structure of pre-twentieth-century practice in music,painting, literature and architect.In the movements like cubism,Dadaism, surrealism, and Futurism.

While postmodernism  is the influential paper over modernity.And,this word first used by Lyotard  in 1930 in his work ‘Answering the question:what is postmodernism?’.

And,postmodernist writers thinking from the much widerperspectives.E.g Said’s ‘orientalism’ has also been

Critiqued for combine Gramascian,Foucaultion and Derridian methods.

v ‘Globalization’:

The last point of her view about colonialism/ postcolonialism is ‘Globalization and the future of postcolonial studies.’

 It is meaningless to define our world in relation to dynamics of  European colonialism or decolonization.Globalisation can’t using concepts like margins centres. But, Today social –networking also became much helpful in to understand the process of ‘Globalization’ in context  of colonialism/ postcolonialism.

But, somewhere in the process of ‘Globalization’ also near to the colonialism/  postcolonialism.But,In social net working also some third world country  person want to just like first world. That thing is also the part of colonialism/postcolonialism.That’s one possibility of the Future of ‘Globalization’

While another is ‘Globalization’ and social-networking  through  people come together and know each - others likes ,dislikes , language, foods, thoughts, clothes,cultures and many ,more things.in that way people’s narrow mind became so vast and may be it’s also to bring out positive changes also in the future of ‘Globalization’.and That’s  a second possibility of the future of ‘Globalizatioon’.

v Conclusion:

Ania Loomba defined colonialism/ postcolonialism through the Various angles and discourse.That I’m trying to put in a very simple way.In which she was mainly discussed about colonialism/ postcolonialism, imperialism, Neo-colonialism/ Identities, Race, Psychoanalysis, Gender sexuality, Hybridity, Nationalism, and ‘Globalization’ etc. some core points of her view towards ‘colonialism/ postcolonialism.’