Postcolonialism Flashcards
What is Anglophone literature?
literature written in english by writers living in or originating from English-speaking countries non in UK (countries with a history of colonialism). In some of these countries English language has remained (Canada, USA, Australia), while in other it is only the second language
What is postcolonialism?
a field of studies that develops specific reading strategies to approach literatures in English written by authors who come from countries with a history of colonialism. The way in which you read a book written by an anglophone writer.
Postcolonialism is not an historical period = the period after the departure of the imperial powers, but a position against imperialism and eurocentrism
Post is not After.. what does it mean?
it is not a strict historical period following colonialism; it is always affected by, and concerned with, colonialism. The consequences of it aren’t over, so we can’t consider an “after of” —> the continuity of what was and how it affected the present.
Which are the aims of postcolonialism?
- Studies
- Contests
- Retells
Which are the two contests of postcolonialism?
- historical context
- ideological and intellectual context
The history and phases of colonialism.
What are the two types of colonies?
Notability
Settler and settled colonies
How was decolonisation?
Notability
What is colonialism and which principles has it?
The settlement of territory, the exploitation or development of resources and the attempt to govern the indigenous inhabitants of the occupied lands
- political aspect
- economic and capitalistic exploitation and aspect
- the word “attempt” means that it wasn’t always so easy, because it meant imposition of a new culture, language, way of living and politics, so lots of populations rebelled and reacted against them.
The word comes from the latin “Colere”, that means inhabit and cultivate
When we move to the aspect of ideology, we should speak about Imperialism:
- mother country ≠ colonies
- Edward Said: centre ≠ periphery
- progress ≠ obscurity …
What is the Social Darwinism Chart?
Ii is a chart with 6 types of humans and evolutions. The last ist the most important and civilised, the European man.
This chart explains the rights and appropriateness to live
What is The White man’s burden?
The basis of idea of superiority associated to white man and colonisers.
Half devil and half child were called the indigenous (evil, bad) and that’s the part that should be cured and eradicated. They were considered half child in the sense of humans being, they had a need for education, learn how to live, think, behave by the english people.
It’s referred to the supposed or presumed responsibility of white people to govern and impart their culture to non-white people, as a justification for European colonialism. They thought the colonised people should be happy to have them there to help them learn and develop.
What is eurocentrism?
european civilisation is perceived and imposed as the only positive model; it’s also a matter of imposition, not only perception; they felt the duty to impose it. It’s the standards by which non european cultures are judged and contrasted as negative (“othering” or “otherisation” —> has nothing to do with this european culture, opposite to it)
How was the decolonisation made?
Through the practical and ideological phases
Which forms has the postcolonial literature?
- rereading
- writing back
- rewriting
Who is Edward Said and what did he think?
Edward Said (1935-2003) is one of the founder of the postcolonial literature. He studied the process of construction of a colonial identity
He developed the theory of Orientalism in 1978: Notability
How is the Orient?
- is timeless
- is an institution
- is a western fantasy
- is degenerate
- is feminine
- is strange
