Postcolonial memories and lusophone literatures

2005 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-161
Author(s):  
PAULO DE MEDEIROS
Keyword(s):  
Postcolonial Theory ◽  
Postcolonial Studies ◽  
Postcolonial Literature ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Cultural Hegemony ◽  
British Colonialism ◽  
Limited Perspective ◽  
History Of ◽  
Portuguese Literature ◽  
Portuguese Colonialism

By focusing almost exclusively on the circumstances of British colonialism, postcolonial theory has failed to take into consideration other histories of colonization and other forms of postcoloniality. By considering a few elements from the history of Portuguese colonialism and a few lusophone texts, it is my hope to demonstrate what I consider to be a limited perspective on postcolonial studies, at the same time that one may also ponder the fact that so much in postcolonial literature depends precisely on acts of remembrance. Ruins, all sorts of ruins, form a privileged space for the construction of postcolonial memories and in this essay I will focus especially on one kind, the shipwreck, as a special figure for varied postcolonial memories. In the process, I hope to also make a case for the reconsideration of European literature, via the example of Portuguese literature, from a postcolonial point of view. Germano Almeida's novel, O Testamento do Senhor Napumoceno (1991) and its film version, de-emphasize cultural hegemony and the dichotomy between colony and metropolis. The legacy of Portuguese tradition remains complex.

Colonizing Animals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Saha
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Postcolonial Theory ◽  
British Colonialism ◽  
British Imperialism ◽  
Early Nineteenth Century ◽  
Critical Animal Studies ◽  
British Colonization ◽  
History Of ◽  
Historical Methodology

Animals were vital to the British colonization of Myanmar. In this pathbreaking history of British imperialism in Myanmar from the early nineteenth century to 1942, Jonathan Saha argues that animals were impacted and transformed by colonial subjugation. By examining the writings of Burmese nationalists and the experiences of subaltern groups, he also shows how animals were mobilized by Burmese anticolonial activists in opposition to imperial rule. In demonstrating how animals - such as elephants, crocodiles, and rats - were important actors never fully under the control of humans, Saha uncovers a history of how British colonialism transformed ecologies and fostered new relationships with animals in Myanmar. Colonizing Animals introduces the reader to an innovative historical methodology for exploring interspecies relationships in the imperial past, using innovative concepts for studying interspecies empires that draw on postcolonial theory and critical animal studies.

scholarly journals Book Review: Leela Gandhi, Postcolonial Theory: A Critical Introduction, Second Edition. New York: Columbia University Press, 2019.

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-29
Author(s):  
Karen Ferreira-Meyers
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Cultural History ◽  
Intellectual History ◽  
Postcolonial Theory ◽  
Postcolonial Studies ◽  
Editorial Board Member ◽  
Columbia University ◽  
History Of ◽  
Colonial Encounter

The second edition of Leela Gandhi’s Postcolonial Theory: A Critical Introduction (2019) updates the 1998 first edition. Routledge Publishers hailed the first edition as “a ground-breaking critical introduction to the burgeoning field of postcolonial studies”. John Hawkes Professor of Humanities and English at Brown University since 2014, Leela Gandhi has been researching the cultural history of the Indo-British colonial encounter. As a renowned scholar on transnational literatures, postcolonial theory and ethics, she is the founding co-editor of the journal Postcolonial Studies and editorial board member of Postcolonial Text. Her position as director of the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women and her research on intellectual history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are part of her varied and important contributions.

scholarly journals The True Face of Pre-Colonial Africa in “Things Fall Apart”

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (30) ◽  
pp. 96-104
Author(s):  
Ecevit Bekler
Keyword(s):  
Postcolonial Studies ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Western World ◽  
Chinua Achebe ◽  
Important Place ◽  
History Of ◽  
Things Fall Apart ◽  
Authentic Environment ◽  
African Writers ◽  
The One

The Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe is known to be one of the most influential African writers and holds an important place in postcolonial studies. His main aim was to reconstructthe wrongly established beliefs, ideas, and thoughts of the Western world regarding Africa. To realize his aim, he made careful selections in his choice of language, which contributed greatly to sharing his observations, ideas, and beliefs with the rest of the world. He wrote his novels in English, believing that doing so would be more powerful in conveying the true face of pre-colonial Africa, rather than in Nigerian, which could not be as effective as the language of the colonizers. Achebe’s complaint was that the history of Africa had mainly been written by white men who did not belong to his continent and who would not judge life there fairly. With his novels, he changed the prejudices of those who had never been to Africa, and he managed to convert the negative ideas and feelings caused by the portrayal of his continent to positive ones. Things Fall Apart is a novel whose mission is to portray Africa in a very realistic and authentic environment, contrary to the one-sided point of view of the colonizers. The novel presents us, in very authentic language, with many details about the customs, rituals, daily life practices, ceremonies, beliefs, and even jokes of the African Igbos. Chinua Achebe thus realizes his aim in revealing that African tribes, although regarded as having a primitive life and being very far from civilization, in fact had their own life with traditions and a culture specific to themselves.

Introduction

Keshab ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
John A. Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Postcolonial Theory ◽  
Postcolonial Studies ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Subaltern Studies ◽  
Imperial History ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Bengal Renaissance

This chapter argues that Keshab Chandra Sen’s worldview was shaped by the cultural, intellectual and religious traditions of both India and Britain. It situates the study in the context of current scholarship concerning new imperial history, histories of identity and subjectivity, postcolonial studies and subaltern studies. It sets out the methodological and theoretical framework of the book, with particular reference to discourse analysis, theories of identity and subjectivity, postcolonial theory, liberalism and universalism. It provides a brief biographical introduction to Keshab Chandra Sen and argues that he is a significant and neglected figure in the history of Bengal and the Bengal renaissance.

scholarly journals Challenging Binaries and Unfencing Fields

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebekah Vince ◽  
Hanna Teichler
Keyword(s):  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Social History ◽  
Postcolonial Studies ◽  
Postcolonial Literature ◽  
Diasporic Literature ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of ◽  
Memory Group ◽  
The University ◽  
With Memory

Bryan Cheyette is Professor of Modern Literature and Culture at the University of Reading, where he directs the Identities and Minorities research group. His comparative research focuses on critical ‘race’ theory, postcolonial literature and theory, diasporic literature, Holocaust testimony, and, more recently, the social history of the ghetto. In January 2019, the Warwick Memory Group invited Bryan Cheyette to give a public lecture on ‘The Ghetto as Travelling Concept’, in the light of his forthcoming A Very Short Introduction to the Ghetto (2020), and a workshop on ‘Unfenced Fields in Academia and Beyond’. In a wide-ranging interview, Bryan Cheyette speaks of the interconnections between Jewish studies and postcolonial studies, bringing these into dialogue with memory discourses and our contemporary moment. Image of Prof Cheyette, photo credit Cesar Rodriguez

scholarly journals Postcolonial Hermeneutics: Concepts and Contribution to Understanding Socio-Religious Problems in Southeast Asia

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Novita Dewi
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Literary Criticism ◽  
Postcolonial Theory ◽  
Postcolonial Studies ◽  
Postcolonial Literature ◽  
Edward Said ◽  
Religious Conflicts ◽  
Western Discourse ◽  
Religious Problems ◽  
Shed Light

Scrutiny of unequal power-relations between the “East” and the “West” in politics, culture, economy, and various aspects of life is the concern of postcolonial studies. Foucault's concept of power is central in postcolonial theory with which Edward Said is celebrated for his dismantling of Orientalist views. Postcolonial literature, likewise, has contributed to the growth and development of postcolonial criticism. The first objective of this article is to give a brief overview of different terms attached to the word “postcolonial”, i.e. postcolonial literary criticism, postcolonial literature and postcolonial theory, since these terms enrich one another theoretically. The second objective is to discuss postcolonial hermeneutics as a reading tool to examine various mundane practices in Southeast Asian postcolonial society. The purpose is to achieve a balanced, reciprocal exchange of perspectives while providing legitimacy for alternative interpretations to the hegemony shown in “Western” discourse. Citing traditional ways of conflict resolution and eco-friendly land management as examples, this article concludes that postcolonial reading may shed light on how socio-religious conflicts, hybrid experiences of faiths, and other social practices operate and get their respective meanings in postcolonial countries across Southeast Asia.

scholarly journals Postcolonial Hermeneutics: Concepts and Contribution to Understanding Socio-Religious Problems in Southeast Asia

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Novita Dewi
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Literary Criticism ◽  
Postcolonial Theory ◽  
Postcolonial Studies ◽  
Postcolonial Literature ◽  
Edward Said ◽  
Religious Conflicts ◽  
Western Discourse ◽  
Religious Problems ◽  
Shed Light

Scrutiny of unequal power-relations between the “East” and the “West” in politics, culture, economy, and various aspects of life is the concern of postcolonial studies. Foucault's concept of power is central in postcolonial theory with which Edward Said is celebrated for his dismantling of Orientalist views. Postcolonial literature, likewise, has contributed to the growth and development of postcolonial criticism. The first objective of this article is to give a brief overview of different terms attached to the word “postcolonial”, i.e. postcolonial literary criticism, postcolonial literature and postcolonial theory, since these terms enrich one another theoretically. The second objective is to discuss postcolonial hermeneutics as a reading tool to examine various mundane practices in Southeast Asian postcolonial society. The purpose is to achieve a balanced, reciprocal exchange of perspectives while providing legitimacy for alternative interpretations to the hegemony shown in “Western” discourse. Citing traditional ways of conflict resolution and eco-friendly land management as examples, this article concludes that postcolonial reading may shed light on how socio-religious conflicts, hybrid experiences of faiths, and other social practices operate and get their respective meanings in postcolonial countries across Southeast Asia.

scholarly journals “Internal colonialism” - a contribution to the history of the concept

Sociologija ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 410-432
Author(s):  
Milan Subotic
Keyword(s):  
Postcolonial Studies ◽  
New Left ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Internal Colonialism ◽  
Protest Movements ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Usa ◽  
History Of ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Marxist Tradition

Starting from the renewed interest into the concept of the ?internal colonialism? within the contemporary ?postcolonial studies?, this paper discusses the origin and the meaning of the concept in various theoretical traditions and scientific fields. The first part interprets ?internal colonialism? and ?internal colonization? from the perspective of historical and political-economic debates on the Russian and Soviet imperial structure, and from the sociological critique of the social development of the Stalinist epoch. The second part is dedicated to the analysis of the effect and limitations of the use of the concept in interpreting the integrative (French) nationalism and interpreting the reactive, (Celtic) minority nationalisms within Great Britain. In the final part the author has interpreted the meanings that ?internal colonialism? had in sociological analysis of the states of the ?capitalist periphery? (Latin America) and in the political discourse of the ?New Left? protest movements in the USA as a ?capitalist metropolis?. By pointing out the close connection of the analyses of ?colonialism in one country? with Marxist tradition of research into class structure of society, the author concludes that the concept of ?internal colonialism? today is primarily used as a metaphor that finds a useful application within the ?cultural studies?. From that point of view, the history of the concept illustrates the change of the theoretical discourse that characterises social sciences after the ?cultural turn?.

Postcolonial Studies and the Specter of Misplaced Polemics against Postcolonial Theory: A Review of the Chibber Debate

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 234-249
Author(s):  
Christopher Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Postcolonial Theory ◽  
Postcolonial Studies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Critical Interpretation

This field review provides a critical interpretation of Vivek Chibber’s generative polemic, Postcolonial Studies and the Specter of Capitalism.1 Situating Chibber’s work within a long history of Marxist critiques of postcolonial theory, as well as within an even longer interdisciplinary debate over method catalyzed but not caused by poststructuralist thought, this review argues that Chibber fails to articulate an adequately materialist account of capitalism in the colonial and postcolonial world. It then examines recent initiates of scholars of postcolonial studies to develop materialist methodologies in the wake of poststructuralism’s disciplinary hegemony.

scholarly journals Looking for Adê: A contribution to Timorese historiography

2008 ◽  
Vol 163 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 221-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew McWilliam
Keyword(s):  
Historical Record ◽  
East Timor ◽  
General Idea ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Place Names ◽  
Physical Location ◽  
The North ◽  
History Of ◽  
Portuguese Literature ◽  
Portuguese Colonialism

In the centuries-old and turbulent history of Portuguese colonialism in East Timor, place names such as Lifao, Mena, Manatuto, Kupang and Dili (after 1769) are redolent of the early record of contact and trading relationships that fuelled the colonial desire for sandalwood, slaves and Christian souls in equal measure. Another name of similar antiquity and significance, also widely reported in the collective Portuguese archive, is the trading entrepôt of Adê (sometimes written as Adem). However, whereas most of these former ports of Portuguese engagement have retained their emplaced identity both within the historical record and as sites of contemporary settlement, the significance of Adê has faded with time. It rarely features in the contemporary Portuguese literature, and much uncertainty now surrounds its physical location beyond a general idea that it lay somewhere along the north coast of the island east of the current capital of Dili. In this brief communication I attempt to shed some light on the whereabouts of this curious and otherwise obscure fragmenta of Timorese historiography.

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