Post-Colonialism

1. Post-Colonialism

2. “History is written by the winners.” - George Orwell

3. Definition • An analysis of and response to, the impact of colonialism and imperialism*. • * the creation of colonies and empires

4. Historical background • Colonialism is the belief in the right of a country to take over and run (colonize) another country, often as part of a bigger empire. • The British empire was the greatest empire in history. • At its height (1800s) it controlled nearly 1/3 surface of planet and nearly 1/3 of population of world.

5. The British Empire

6. Historical background • The colonial power is by its nature powerful, militarily, economically and culturally. • So it tends to produce books etc that tell the story of the past. • (Consider also WW2 and our views of it) • The colonizer’s view of history is what is accepted • The colonized people are sidelined, silenced

7. Post-colonial times • Since the end of WW2 the British Empire went into decline and most of the countries within the empire were either given or fought for, independence. • These countries then created art and literature about being former colonies, a response to having been a colony.

8. A Different Point of View • Post-colonialism attempts to give the point of view of the colonized • Post-colonialism revises the view of history • Criticises the colonialists? • Attempts to give a more balanced view of history to include the colonized

9. Post-Colonialisms • In Ireland, post-colonialism might present modern Ireland as having emerged from being under the control of the British government or it might present the past • In India, post-colonialism might do something similar

10. Post-colonial texts • A work of literature might be considered a post-colonial text if it presents a view of history that includes the perspective of the colonized (usually written after independence from the colonizer)

11. A Post-colonial Reading • A reader might take a post-colonial view of a text if it comments on colonialism. • E.g. Shakespeare’s The Tempest (from a post-colonial p.o.v) might be considered to criticise ( or simply to present) the act of colonizing since a man takes over an island and makes the natives his slaves

12. A poem like ‘Ruins…’ might be considered a post-colonial poem since it is written after the colonial time and looks at the British empire from the p.o.v of a descendent of a slave.