Postcolonialism Postcolonialism

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Useful terms that are in the text: Canonical: 1.according to canon law; included in the canon of scripture. 2. authoritative; accepted. Canonical counter-discourse: a process in which one examines a character(s), or the basic assumption British canonical text, and unveils [colonialist] assumptions, subverting the text for post-colonial purposes. Glossary Terms Useful in Postcolonialism Colonialism is the subjection of one culture by another. It may involve military conquest but extends to the imposition of the dominant powers values and customs on those of the conquered peoples. Cultural colonialism is the imposition of the beliefs and social practices of the dominant power on the subjugated one, resulting in loss or change of the native culture. The Demonic Other is the view that those who are different from oneself are not only backward but also savage, even evil. Double vision/double consciousness is the sense of being part of both the colonized and the colonizing cultures, with all the conflicts and contrasts that involves. It is characteristic of indigenous peoples and later settlers. Eurocentrism is the assumption that the European ideals and experiences are the standard by which all other cultures are to be measured and judged inferior. Exotic other is the view that those who are different from oneself possess an inherent dignity and beauty, perhaps because of their more underdeveloped, natural state of being. Hybridity/syncretism is the quality of cultures that have characteristics of both the colonizers and the colonized. Marked by conflicts and tensions, they are continually changing and evolving. Mimicry is the imitation of the dress, manners, and language of the dominant culture by the oppressed one. Negotiation is the relationship between a text and its context, both the one that produced it and those that consume it. The assumption is that each affects the other in significant ways. Neocolonialism is the domination of a developing nation by international corporations attracted by cheap labor and manipulable political and legal systems. Othering is the assumption that those who are different from oneself are inferior beings. Postcolonialism is the study of a culture after the physical and/or political withdrawal of an oppressive power. Postcolonial literary criticism refers to the analysis that looks to uncover the colonialist or anticolonialist ideologies in the text. Postcolonial literature is the writings produced by members of the indigenous cultures or by settlers (and their descendents) who have ties to both the invading culture and the oppressed one. (Agreement about the inclusion of the latter is not

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universal.) In English-speaking nations the term usually refers to the literature of former colonies of the British Empire. Subalterns are people of inferior status. Subaltern writers seek to make their marginalized cultures known and valued for their past and present. Unhomeliness is the sense of being culturally displaced, of being caught between two cultures and not at home in either of them. It is felt by those who lack a clearly defined cultural identity. Universalism is the belief that a great work of literature deals with certain themes and characters that are common in European literature. It is Eurocentric in name

The White Man's Burden

By Rudyard Kipling McClure's Magazine 12 (Feb. 1899). Take up the White Man's burden-Send forth the best ye breed-Go, bind your sons to exile To serve your captives' need; To wait, in heavy harness, On fluttered folk and wild-Your new-caught sullen peoples, Half devil and half child. Take up the White Man's burden-In patience to abide, To veil the threat of terror And check the show of pride; By open speech and simple, An hundred times made plain, To seek another's profit And work another's gain. Take up the White Man's burden-The savage wars of peace-Fill full the mouth of Famine, And bid the sickness cease; And when your goal is nearest (The end for others sought) Watch sloth and heathen folly Bring all your hope to nought. Take up the White Man's burden-No iron rule of kings,

But toil of serf and sweeper-The tale of common things. The ports ye shall not enter, The roads ye shall not tread, Go, make them with your living And mark them with your dead. Take up the White Man's burden, And reap his old reward-The blame of those ye better The hate of those ye guard-The cry of hosts ye humour (Ah, slowly!) toward the light:-"Why brought ye us from bondage, Our loved Egyptian night?" Take up the White Man's burden-Ye dare not stoop to less-Nor call too loud on Freedom To cloak your weariness. By all ye will or whisper, By all ye leave or do, The silent sullen peoples Shall weigh your God and you. Take up the White Man's burden! Have done with childish days-The lightly-proffered laurel, The easy ungrudged praise: Comes now, to search your manhood Through all the thankless years, Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom, The judgment of your peers.

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While reading The White Mans Burden, by Rudyard Kipling, think about and try to answer the following questions: (You can answer these on your own later.) What attitudes does the poem reflect regarding the colonizers and the colonized?

Whose deeds are celebrated and whose are reproved?

Are the events exaggerated? Why?

What are the elements of the native culture? Is it worth something?

Are there any recurring themes in the poem?

After reading The White Mans Burden, by Rudyard Kipling, please answer the following questions: How can you apply canonical counter-discourse to this poem?

Postcolonialism How can you apply cultural colonization?

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What examples of mimicry, universalism, and Eurocentrism are there in the poem?

What examples of othering (the exotic other, the demonic other) are in the poem?

Are there any examples of a mixture of clashing of two or more cultures, called syncretism? Please explain.