Paper no 11 Assignment Term :- Post Colonialism and post modernism.
Name :- Hansa G. Bhaliy
Roll no :- 30
Sem :- 03
Batch :- 2019 - 21
Enrollment no :- 2069108420190004
Email Id :- hansabhaliya20@gmail.com
Paper no :- 11 Postcolonial literature
Topic :- Term - Postcolonialiasm
- Post modernism
So,here first I would like to talk about Post colonialism .
• What is Postcolonialiasm ?
Defination :- By definition, postcolonialism is a period of time after colonialism, and postcolonial literature is typically characterized by its opposition to the colonial. ... Many critics now propose that the term should be expanded to include the literatures of Canada, the United States, and Australia.
In many works of literature, specifically those coming out of Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent, we meet characters who are struggling with their identities in the wake of colonization, or the establishment of colonies in another nation. For example, the British had a colonial presence in India from the 1700s until India gained its independence in 1947. As you can imagine, the people of India, as well as the characters in Indian novels, must deal with the economic, political, and emotional effects that the British brought and left behind. This is true for literature that comes out of any colonized nation. In many cases, the literature stemming from these events is both emotional and political.
Postcolonialism or postcolonial studies is the academic study of the cultural legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the human consequences of the control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands. Post colonialism is a critical theory analysis of the history, culture, literature, and discourse of European imperial power. The namepostcolonialism is modeled on postmodernism, with which it shares certain concepts and methods, and may be thought of as a reaction to or departure from colonialism in the same way postmodernism is a reaction to modernism. The ambiguous term colonialism may refer either to a system of government or to an ideology or world view underlying that system—in general postcolonialism represents an ideological response to colonialist thought, rather than simply describing a system that comes after colonialism. The term postcolonial studies may be preferred for this reason. Postcolonialism encompasses a wide variety of approaches, and theoreticians may not always agree on a common set of definitions. On a simple level, it may seek through anthropological study to build a better understanding of colonial life from the point of view of the colonized people, based on the assumption that the colonial rulers are unreliablenarrators.
Postcolonialism includes a vast array of writers and subjects. In fact, the very different geographical, historical, social, religious, and economic concerns of the different ex-colonies dictate a wide variety in the nature and subject of most postcolonial writing. Wisker has noted in her book that it is even simplistic to theorize that all postcolonial writing is resistance writing. In fact, many postcolonial writers themselves will argue that their countries are still very much colonial countries, both in terms of their values and behaviors, and that these issues are reflected in their work. In her essay on postcolonialism, Deepika Bahri agrees, noting that while the definition of postcolonialism may be fairly boundaried, the actual use of the term is very subjective, allowing for a yoking together of a very diverse range of experiences, cultures, and problems. This diversity of definitions exists,...
• What is post modernism?
•Postmodernism is a movement that focuses on the reality of the individual, denies statements that claim to be true for all people and is often expressed in a pared-down style in arts, literature and culture.
As per dictionary meaning,a late 20th-century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism, which represents a departure from modernism and is characterized by the self-conscious use of earlier styles and conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media, and a general distrust of theories.Postmodernism is a broad movement that developed in the mid- to late 20th century across philosophy, the arts, architecture, and criticism, marking a departure from modernism. The term has been more generally applied to the historical era following modernity and the tendencies of this era.
•Postmodernism, also spelled post-modernism, in Western philosophy, a late 20th-century movement characterized by broad skepticism, subjectivism, or relativism; a general suspicion of reason; and an acute sensitivity to the role of ideology in asserting and maintaining political and economic power.A general and wide-ranging term which is applied to literature, art, philosophy, architecture, fiction, and cultural and literary criticism, among others. Postmodernism is largely a reaction to the assumed certainty of scientific, or objective, efforts to explain reality. In essence, it stems from a recognition that reality is not simply mirrored in human understanding of it, but rather, is constructed as the mind tries to understand its own particular and personal reality. For this reason, postmodernism is highly skeptical of explanations which claim to be valid for all groups, cultures, traditions, or races, and instead focuses on the relative truths of each person. In the postmodern understanding, interpretation is everything; reality only comes into being through our interpretations of what the world means to us individually. Postmodernism relies on concrete experience over abstract principles, knowing always that the outcome of one's own experience will necessarily be fallible and relative, rather than certain and universal.
These both teams are inextricably inter-woven considering their radicle platform where Literary writers,critics,theorists,followers,etc.put their chaallenges rather than to facing it. These terms do not find any solution but raise the questions and challenges in lieu of answering the questions. Literature during British rule on India, literature after independence of India and the literature written from four corners of the world protesting against oppressors' hands, especially in their writing are the gush in literature in general sense of the term . In the case of India, Pakistan,South Africa and other Third World countries after Second World War, whatever Literature written by these country writers was taken into consideration as a new literature by Ex- Colonies like Ireland ,Canada and Australia,too. To be very conspicuous in explaining about the literature was written by those who were at the centre means those who politically and economically powerful over powerless and now literature written by those who are on the periphery and powerless over the so - called powerful.
• Colonial and imperial rules were legitimatized by anthropological theories which increasingly portrayed the people of the colonized world as inferior, child-like,or feminine, incapable of looking after themselves and requiring the paternal rule of the west for their own best interests. About India,Britishers or sahibs came for their interests and benefits,so colonized the place.Colonies came into existence.Idea of Racism and colour - discrimination got the momentum. Class consciousness spread throughout the country.Cultural imperialism thirsted upon Colonized. Psychological programing of the laymen was common and as usual. Colonial power remains changed and challenged if the balance of power is slowly limited. The beginning of 19th century came with the concept of Ex- Imperialism of Western countries. Not only biological but also mental existence was incarcerated. It was colonial period that was the challenge of its next.
Post- colonialism,after colonialism,came in the form of absolute protest to it. Inclusion and exclusion was minutely observed when post - Colonial Age established. Robert Young also expresses his idea in following remark,
" If you are someone who does not identify yourself as western country,or someone who is part of culture and yet excluded by its dominant voice,inside yet outside, outside, then Post-Colonialism offers you a way of seeing things
differently.
• These western countries like America, England,France ,Spain , Germany,etc.had ruled before 1950s but then Post-colonial Countries like Africa,India ,Iran ,etc. In general ,Middle Eastern countries have the turn to be unruled and confronted the imposed system of Imperialism. Country like Britain had special cultural and traditional prototypical thoughts of Africa and Hindustan. Now the colonial countries are in return as a reciprocal ,concentrating and observing teh westren countries and challenging their archetypal images of themselves. So the former British Empire is a particular focus. So whatever ruled and occupied by Britishers in new re- empowered and to be enjoyed as Swaraj.
•Such a Post colonial combat against colonial countries came into consideration to experience the British Raj and its political domination. Such a post colonial literature also so known as new literature or commonwealth literature was once under the dependency of European literature. Therefore, what they showed in the literature and it give rise to Anti colonial literature. If any reader mentions about those revolutionaries who objected the imperial power then can it be called Anti - Colonialists ? Marx was also strongly against the inequality among the king and slave struggle then though he was 19th century revolutionary socialist and theorist, can hi called the anti colonialist of the 21th world of literature. For such challenging task, serious debate is needed. His ideology about the socialization and equal distribution of the income of the country among the three classes is a quite new backbone in the discussion of Anti colonialism. The postcolonial critics like Edward said, Homi Bhabha, Frantz Fanon, Gayatri Chakravorty spivak, V.S. Naipaul, Salman Rushdie, Michel foucault, Derrida,etc. Have bestowed the best culmination in the field of the anti colonialism and literature. In the process of postcolonial observation and analysis the particular words like'Dalit', 'inferior', 'lower', 'second class', 'third world', 'peripheral', 'aarna going to be redefined reconstructed with its new form namely 'subaltern'. It is now belonging to the the specific intention or period of time but going from the process of generalisation from where it was particularised. And now the idea of postcolonialism came into to being that does not belong to the peculiar age but the universal movement. If the person goes in, becomes a post colonialist. In general sense of the term if someone is given injustice and he raises his voice against the existing evil like phenomenon he is post colonialist that is what Robert Young has in his account, whether they are feminists, Dalitists , Subaltern's voice , Marxists or Fanonists.
