What is Postcolonialism? A Short Introduction

Summary

In this episode of Cross-Cultural Talk, Massoud Raja explores the complexities of post-colonial studies, emphasizing its focus on the historical and ongoing impacts of European colonization on non-Western societies. He explains how the field, which originated in literature departments, examines both the actions of colonizers and the responses of the colonized, including their struggles and agency. Raja also touches on the influence of key theorists like Edward Said and the concept of Orientalism, highlighting the importance of understanding the Middle East through a lens not shaped by stereotypes. The discussion extends to contemporary issues like neoliberalism and its effects on post-colonial nations, urging a broader understanding of global development beyond North Atlantic perspectives.

Takeaways

• 🌏 Post-colonialism does not necessarily imply that colonialism has ended, but rather it continues in new forms such as economic and political neo-colonial practices.
• 📚 Post-colonial studies is a field that deals with the historical colonization by European nations and the responses of the colonized people, both literary and political.
• 🏛 Robert Young's definition of post-colonialism emphasizes the scholarly and creative work that traces the actions of colonizers and the responses of the colonized.
• 📚 The field can encompass various political and conceptual divisions such as post-colonial feminism, Marxism, and historiography, all focusing on the impact of colonialism.
• 📘 Robert Young suggested an alternative term 'tricontinentalism' for the field, reflecting the major continents colonized by Europe, but this term did not gain popularity.
• 📚 Post-colonial studies often involves engaging with canonical texts and theorists who challenge mainstream American or British literary canons.
• 📚 Key theorists in post-colonial studies include Frantz Fanon, Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, and Gayatri Spivak, whose works form a counter-canon to traditional literature.
• 🌳 Edward Said's 'Orientalism' is pivotal in explaining how Western views of the Middle East were discursively produced and perpetuated through a body of knowledge.
• 🌐 Post-colonial studies also extends to examining the impact of neoliberalism and global economic systems on post-colonial nations, highlighting the ongoing influence of colonial legacies.
• 🌟 The field encourages a broader understanding of history that does not center solely on the colonial experience, but also explores pre-colonial identities and knowledge.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of post-colonial studies?

Post-colonial studies primarily focuses on the historical colonialism or colonization of most of the world by European nations and the responses of the colonized people, both literary and political, during and after colonialism.

What does the term 'post' in 'post-colonialism' imply?

The term 'post' in 'post-colonialism' does not necessarily mean that colonialism has ended. It refers to the ongoing study of the effects and responses to colonial practices, including new forms of economic and political colonialism.

Who is Robert Young and what is his contribution to the definition of post-colonialism?

Robert Young is a scholar who has provided a clear definition of post-colonialism. He suggests that any scholarly or creative work dealing with European colonization and the responses of the colonized people constitutes the field of post-colonial studies.

What are some of the different branches of post-colonial studies?

Branches of post-colonial studies include post-colonial feminism, post-colonial Marxism, and post-colonial historiography, all of which deal with issues of colonialism and its impact even after the colonies become independent nation-states.

Why was the term 'tricontinentalism' suggested by Robert Young and why did it not catch on?

The term 'tricontinentalism' was suggested by Robert Young to encompass the three major continents colonized by Europe: Africa, Asia, and South America, including the Caribbean. However, it did not catch on, and 'post-colonial studies' remains the more commonly used term.

What is the significance of Edward Said's work 'Orientalism' in post-colonial studies?

Edward Said's 'Orientalism' is significant because it introduced the concept of how the West's stereotypical views of the Middle East were discursively produced over centuries, influencing how people in Europe and America perceive the region, and it has shaped various fields of study within post-colonialism.

What is the role of post-colonial studies in the understanding of global history?

Post-colonial studies encourages a shift from a Euro-American perspective to a more inclusive understanding of global history, by examining the perspectives of the colonized and the impact of colonialism on their societies.

How does post-colonial studies challenge the mainstream literary canon?

Post-colonial studies challenges the mainstream literary canon by introducing and valuing texts from colonized regions, which respond to colonialism and offer a counter-narrative to the dominant Western literary tradition.

What are some of the key theorists in post-colonial studies?

Key theorists in post-colonial studies include Frantz Fanon, Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, and Gayatri Spivak, whose works have significantly contributed to the field's development and understanding.

How does post-colonial studies address the issue of neoliberalism and its impact on post-colonial nations?

Post-colonial studies examines the impact of neoliberalism on post-colonial nations, including the role of international financial institutions like the IMF and the effects of global economic systems on the development and autonomy of these nations.

What is the broader scope of post-colonial studies beyond the colonial experience?

Beyond the colonial experience, post-colonial studies also explores pre-colonial identities and knowledge, the present conditions of post-colonial nations, and the role of global economic systems, aiming to challenge the notion that these societies are inherently behind in time.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Post-Colonial Studies

In this introductory paragraph, Massoud Raja sets the stage for a discussion on post-colonialism, a field of study he acknowledges as complex and challenging to define. He clarifies that 'post' in post-colonialism does not imply the end of colonialism, as neo-colonial practices persist. Raja references Robert Young's definition, which encompasses scholarly and creative works addressing the European colonization of various regions and the responses from the colonized. The paragraph establishes post-colonial studies as an interdisciplinary field primarily within literature departments, focusing on the historical context of colonization and the subsequent reactions and struggles of the colonized peoples. It also touches on the existence of sub-fields within post-colonial studies, such as post-colonial feminism and Marxism, and mentions the impact of Edward Said's 'Orientalism' on the field.

05:01

🌍 Orientalism and the Perception of the Middle East

This paragraph delves into Edward Said's concept of 'Orientalism,' exploring how Western societies have developed stereotypical views of the Middle East based on a historical body of knowledge produced by Europeans and Americans. Said argues that this perception is a result of discourse and expertise claimed by 'Orientalists,' which has influenced various fields including historiography and literary representations. The paragraph discusses how Orientalism has created a lens through which the Middle East is viewed as a timeless, static place, detached from the complexities of modern society. It also highlights the impact of Orientalism on academic fields, prompting a shift towards considering the perspectives of the 'natives' and the emergence of a counter-canon in literary studies that includes works responding to colonialism.

10:02

🌱 Post-Colonial Studies: Expanding Beyond Colonial Experience

The final paragraph broadens the scope of post-colonial studies, moving beyond the colonial experience to include the retrieval of pre-colonial knowledge and texts. It emphasizes the importance of not centering history on colonialism, which would imply that the history of colonized regions begins with colonial encounters. The paragraph discusses the role of post-colonial scholars and writers in challenging the notion of the present being defined solely by North Atlantic regions and in recognizing the agency and resistance of colonized peoples. It also touches on contemporary issues such as neoliberalism and its impact on post-colonial nation-states, the role of international financial institutions, and the importance of understanding local and global influences on these nations. The paragraph concludes with an invitation to visit Raja's website for more resources on post-colonial studies.

Keywords

💡Post-colonialism

Post-colonialism is a field of study that examines the cultural, political, and economic impacts of colonialism and imperialism. It does not imply that colonialism has ended but focuses on the ongoing effects and the responses of colonized people. In the video, it is described as encompassing the works that deal with European colonization and the subsequent reactions and representations from colonized regions such as Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia.

💡Neo-colonialism

Neo-colonialism refers to the practice where former colonial powers continue to exert control over former colonies through economic and political pressures rather than direct military control. The video mentions neo-colonial practices as ongoing, especially in economic and political spheres, indicating that while physical occupation may have ended, the influence persists in other forms.

💡Robert Young

Robert Young is a scholar referenced in the video for his clear definition of post-colonialism. He suggests that post-colonialism includes any scholarly or creative work dealing with the effects of European colonization and the responses from colonized people. His contributions help frame the field of post-colonial studies.

💡Edward Said

Edward Said was a key figure in establishing post-colonial studies, particularly through his 1978 book 'Orientalism.' The video credits Said with explaining how the West perceives the Middle East through a lens shaped by colonialist discourse, which has influenced various fields like anthropology and historiography. Said's work helped launch post-colonial studies by challenging Western representations of the 'Orient.'

💡Orientalism

Orientalism, as defined by Edward Said, refers to the Western stereotypical and colonialist depiction of the Middle East and Asia. In the video, Orientalism is described as a discursive practice that produces a specific view of the 'Orient' as timeless and exotic, shaping Western perceptions and knowledge. Said's analysis of Orientalism underscores the biased lens through which the West views the East.

💡Frantz Fanon

Frantz Fanon was a post-colonial theorist known for his works on the psychological and cultural impacts of colonialism. The video mentions him as part of the canonical texts in post-colonial studies. Fanon's writings, such as 'The Wretched of the Earth,' focus on decolonization and the struggle for liberation among colonized peoples.

💡Gayatri Spivak

Gayatri Spivak is a prominent post-colonial theorist known for her essay 'Can the Subaltern Speak?' which explores the ability of marginalized groups to have a voice within post-colonial discourse. The video lists her as one of the major theorists in the field, highlighting her contributions to understanding the dynamics of power, representation, and voice in post-colonial contexts.

💡Homi Bhabha

Homi Bhabha is a key figure in post-colonial theory, known for concepts like hybridity, mimicry, and the 'third space.' The video includes him as a major contemporary theorist whose work examines the complex interactions between colonizers and the colonized. Bhabha's theories help explain cultural negotiation and identity formation in post-colonial societies.

💡Tri-continentalism

Tri-continentalism is an alternative term suggested by Robert Young, referring to the collective experience of Africa, Asia, and South America under European colonization. Although the term did not gain widespread use, the video highlights it to emphasize the shared colonial history and the interconnectedness of these regions in post-colonial studies.

💡Neoliberalism

Neoliberalism is an economic and political ideology promoting free markets, deregulation, and reduction in government spending. The video discusses its impact on post-colonial nation-states, where neoliberal policies are often imposed, affecting their economies and development. Post-colonial studies examine how neoliberalism perpetuates inequalities and influences the global South.

Highlights

Post-colonialism does not necessarily imply that colonialism has ended.

Post-colonial studies deals with the issues of European colonization and responses from the colonized people.

The field of post-colonial studies is mostly established in literature departments.

Different political and conceptual divisions exist within post-colonial studies, such as post-colonial feminism and Marxism.

Robert Young suggested an alternative term 'transcontinentalism' for post-colonial studies.

Students often feel intimidated by post-colonial studies but it can be an exciting class.

Canonical texts in post-colonial studies include works by theorists, novelists, short story writers, and playwrights.

Key theorists in post-colonial studies include Frantz Fanon, Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, and Gayatri Spivak.

Edward Said's 'Orientalism' is instrumental in launching the field of post-colonial studies.

Orientalism explores the stereotypical views of the Middle East held by Europeans and Americans.

Post-colonial studies creates a counter canon in literary studies, taking texts from colonized regions seriously.

Post-colonial studies also delves into pre-colonial identities and knowledge.

The present of the world is not solely defined by the North Atlantic regions; post-colonial studies challenges this notion.

Neoliberalism and its impact on post-colonial nations is a significant area of study in post-colonial studies.

Post-colonial studies considers the role of global economic systems and their enforcement on developing nations.

The field of post-colonial studies is broad and no single person can be an expert in all its facets.

Post-colonial studies traces acts of agency within colonized nations and their struggles against colonialism.

For more information on post-colonial studies, visit the website post-colonial.net.

Transcripts

[Music]

hello welcome to cross-cultural talk

once again my name is Massoud Raja and

today I briefly want to talk about my

own field of study post colonialism or

post-colonial studies I found it to be

one of the hardest questions to answer

whenever someone asks me to explain what

is post colonialism so first of all to

be very clear one ought to remember that

the post in post colonialism does not

necessarily mean that we imply by it

that colonialism has ended now we know

that the physical occupation of what

used to be European colonies 19th and

20th centuries it's pretty much over but

we are also aware that a lot of new

colonial or neo-colonial practices

especially economic but also political

still are going on so I mostly rely on

Robert Young's very clear definition of

post colonialism in which he suggests

that any work scholarly and creative

that deals with the issues of European

colonization of Africa the Caribbean

Asia in other parts of the world and

that also traces not only what the

colonizers did but what kind of a

response came from the colonized people

how did they represent themselves how

did they fight back would constitute the

field of post-colonial studies so to

repeat it in so many different words but

which have the similar content

post-colonial studies is a field of

study mostly established in the

literature departments which deals with

any issues related to the historical

colonialism or colonization of most of

the world by the European nations and

then responses of the people who were

colonized both literary and political

and their struggles during and after

colonialism in one way or the other

constitutes post-colonial studies now

within that there can be different

political and conceptual divisions you

can have post-colonial feminism you can

have post-colonial Marxism you can have

post-colonial historiography but all of

these fields of study when they deal

with issues of colonialism its impact

and its impact even after the post

colonies become independent nation

states all of that can be subsumed under

the larger rubric of post-colonial

studies now Robert Young had suggested

in one of his most Magisterial book on

post colonialism called post colonialism

and history he had suggested an

alternative term which was called try

continental ISM in which his idea was

that all the three major continents that

were colonized Africa Asia and South

America and of course the Caribbean is

part of that too because of that the

field should be called try continental

ISM but it never caught on so in your

classrooms when you take a course on

post-colonial studies most of the times

students feel really intimidated but it

can be a very exciting class because

what you will encounter in most

post-colonial studies is some canonical

text of post-colonial studies these are

mostly theorists but also novelist short

story writers playwrights who form a

sort of counter cannon to to the

mainstream American or British Lit

cannon so you will probably read Frantz

Fanon you will probably read Edward

Sayid homi Bhabha guy three speevak so

the concept contemporary three major

theories were Edwards side he passed

away

and then Gayatri Spivak and homi Bhabha

Syed

in a way was instrumental in launching

the field of post-colonial studies

because of his 1977 book Orientalism and

also for his work that followed that

book and also his political work for the

Palestinians in Orientalism Sayid tried

to explain one historical phenomena and

he tried to explain one or two things

and the most important of that was that

when you think of the Middle East when

Europeans or Americans think of the

Middle East why is it that without

having read much about it without having

been there people have a certain

stereotypical view of the Middle East

and that is what sites studied and his

idea was that this is not accidental

this view of the Middle East which he

calls the Orient he thought was

discursive Lee produced and was produced

because a body of knowledge existed in

Europe as well as in America but mostly

in Europe where people claimed a certain

degree of expertise on the Orient they

called themselves the Orientalists right

and that you will find in historiography

you will find in literary

representations of the Middle East in

music even and because of that knowledge

produced over 300 years I'd argues that

there is a way a lens through which the

Europeans have traditionally seen the

Middle East or the Orient and that it is

that way of looking that lens that he

calls Orientalism and it can manifest in

many forms Orientalism can be when

someone thinks of any Middle Eastern

countries and imagines it to be a

timeless place desert the camels the

Bedouin tents all of these views of the

Middle East shape a certain specific

timeless perception

of the Middle East in the European mind

according to Sade and because of that

people cannot develop the capacity to

see the Middle East in the present as as

complex societies dealing with the

similar issues that people over here

deal with know what side does then in

Orientalism then launches entire fields

of study you know it defines how people

do anthropology it changes that it

changes historiography people stop

recording histories of the rest of the

world only from a euro-american

perspective and they start trying to

read it from the natives perspective and

and so on in the field of literary

studies then it creates a space for the

literary production let's say from

Africa from South Asia from the

Caribbean people start taking these

texts seriously because not only are

these masterful texts they are also

texts that in one way or the other

respond to colonialism or the colonial

experience so post-colonial studies then

develops a sort of a counter canon in

which you have a list of theorists to

read and you have a list of texts to

read novels short stories and we have a

list of authors that are considered

prominent or important post-colonial

studies authors on the whole though I

mean to really really sum it up

succinctly any form of literary

education or scholarship or classroom

teaching that takes colonialism as this

act of epistemic and physical violence

against the native people and then

offers what happened during the contact

phase what did the natives do how did

they respond to it how were they

incorporated in the system of

colonialism how did power work in it but

most importantly what acts of agency and

challenge did the natives offer to the

colonial powers what for their freedoms

how will they mobilize so all of that

then becomes part of post-colonial

studies and then for most of us now it

also goes beyond that we don't just want

to harp on the colonial experience

because there is a flaw in that because

if we make the colonial experience

central to African experience or Asian

experience then somehow we are

acknowledging that our history starts

with colonialism which is not

necessarily the case so so many

different branches of post-colonial

studies then go and retrieve knowledge

--is and texts that were produced before

colonialism I'm not saying that it is

possible to retrieve any pre-colonial

identities cultural or political but

that people go and write about it they

try to imagine what life must have been

before colonialism and has articulated

that life would have gone on

if this act of physical and epistemic

violence had not stopped the development

of those societies but more importantly

post-colonial scholars and writers

dispel this idea as if somehow the

present of the world is the present of

North Atlantic regions and that somehow

people in Africa and elsewhere are

behind in time well I mean they might

not be as developed as United States in

rest of the world but that's a question

of resources and not necessarily a

question of Africans being inherently

and not capable of development and these

are some of the issues that we deal with

we also now increasingly also study

neoliberalism and the system of

economics that's prevalent in the world

and which is of course dominant in the

world which is sometimes enforced on the

developing nations on the post-colonial

nation-states so we also study the

impact of neoliberalism and its

implications for people from the global

South all of these things then form part

of post-colonial studies so there is no

way one person can have an expertise in

all facets of post-colonial studies then

there is a law

straining post-colonial studies of

Marxist scholars these are the scholars

we have a materialistic view of history

Robert Young being one of them and they

are the ones who constantly push against

any culturalist claims against

post-colonial theory well I mean if

everything is explained through culture

these people come along and say no there

the economics is involved their class

structure is involved there and that

makes the current state of post-colonial

nation-states very acutely important for

study in post-colonial theory so some of

us do also study the post-colonial

nation state what is happening over

there how much of what is happening is

caused by the local causes and how much

of it is already over determined by the

global commitments of the neoliberal

capital that these nation states have to

face every single day what's the role of

IMF and and debt in in the fate of these

nations all of these these issues in one

way or the other form part of

post-colonial studies so to sum up

post-colonial studies becomes a field of

study after it will say it publishes

Orientalism so it's very important

reader Orientalism but then as a field

of study it never assumes that

colonialism is over it just reads the

colonial experience as one marker of the

history of these nations and then we

read literary texts in the literature

departments that represent that

condition that represent how people

lived under colonialism how they

struggled against it how they fought

against it most importantly tracing

these acts of agency within the

colonized nation states and nations

becomes a very important part of

post-colonial studies so to learn more

about it I would welcome you to visit my

website post-colonial dotnet the website

has been in existence since 2002 I have

a lot of materials there and if you have

any questions please feel free to

contact me through the website thank you

so much for joining me today

and I'll keep producing such brief

videos on different topics related to

post-colonial studies thank you so much