What is post colonialism? When and how did the term originate? Why is the study of post-colonial theories never ending?
To start with, post colonialism is one of the most complicated fields of study as it ranges from the distant past and continues to evolve even today. Essentially, the term post colonialism emerged from a complex history of struggle between the dominant European powers and the colonised countries. It is further regarded as a reaction to the hierarchical organization created by the colonisers, wherein the Europeans were always at the top most level and the colonised maintained the lowest position. The relationship between the two established a system in which the colonised were controlled on a social, economic and political …show more content…
Two of the most discussed points of view regarding the study consist of a psychoanalytical approach and the importance of feminism in post colonialism. Frantz Fanon (1925-1961) maintained a view that a struggle based on self-consciousness and self-determination can successfully tackle the threats and power of the colonisers. Another interesting debate that surrounds the postcolonial studies is the role of feminism in post colonialism. While some critics state that the role of women in the struggle was not to fight the colonisers but to gain gender equality, figures like Kumari Jayawardena (b. 1931) state that the contribution of women has never been considered as important as their counterparts’. Therefore, while such theories and observations continue to be explored, the scope of post colonialism is widespread and ever evolving. Owing to the difficulty of being able to correctly define post colonialism, I find Stuart Hall’s (1932-2014) words truly apposite:
So, postcolonial is not the end of colonisation. It is after a certain kind of colonialism, after a certain moment of high imperialism and colonial occupation—in the wake of it, in the shadow of it, inflected by it—it is what it is because something else has happened before, but it is also something …show more content…
He argued that a culture oriented and all round educational development of the Indian population will be a driving force for social reconstruction. By being adamant against the English education system, he wrote in Harijan (1937), “Education should be so revolutionized as to answer the wants of the poorest villager, instead of answering those of an imperial exploiter.” These words by Mahatma Gandhi are one of the most celebrated quotes under the study of post colonialism. He aimed to modify the curriculum to promote social betterment and welfare, development of the body, mind and soul, and a self-supporting belief. Two distinct modes of education initiated by Gandhi were production of crafts such as weaving, pottery, book binding, as a means of learning and choosing the mother tongue as the medium of knowledge. He further believed that an educational qualification attained from the system of the West would only be a strain on the youth wherein they would eventually fall under the imperial hierarchical structure and still be at the bottom level. His views on religious education stating, “Study of other religions besides one's own will give one a grasp of the rock-bottom unity of all religions and afford a glimpse also of that universal and absolute truth which lies beyond the 'dust of creeds and faiths'”(Young India,1928) also establishes the undeniable importance of religious awareness of historic
To start with, post colonialism is one of the most complicated fields of study as it ranges from the distant past and continues to evolve even today. Essentially, the term post colonialism emerged from a complex history of struggle between the dominant European powers and the colonised countries. It is further regarded as a reaction to the hierarchical organization created by the colonisers, wherein the Europeans were always at the top most level and the colonised maintained the lowest position. The relationship between the two established a system in which the colonised were controlled on a social, economic and political …show more content…
Two of the most discussed points of view regarding the study consist of a psychoanalytical approach and the importance of feminism in post colonialism. Frantz Fanon (1925-1961) maintained a view that a struggle based on self-consciousness and self-determination can successfully tackle the threats and power of the colonisers. Another interesting debate that surrounds the postcolonial studies is the role of feminism in post colonialism. While some critics state that the role of women in the struggle was not to fight the colonisers but to gain gender equality, figures like Kumari Jayawardena (b. 1931) state that the contribution of women has never been considered as important as their counterparts’. Therefore, while such theories and observations continue to be explored, the scope of post colonialism is widespread and ever evolving. Owing to the difficulty of being able to correctly define post colonialism, I find Stuart Hall’s (1932-2014) words truly apposite:
So, postcolonial is not the end of colonisation. It is after a certain kind of colonialism, after a certain moment of high imperialism and colonial occupation—in the wake of it, in the shadow of it, inflected by it—it is what it is because something else has happened before, but it is also something …show more content…
He argued that a culture oriented and all round educational development of the Indian population will be a driving force for social reconstruction. By being adamant against the English education system, he wrote in Harijan (1937), “Education should be so revolutionized as to answer the wants of the poorest villager, instead of answering those of an imperial exploiter.” These words by Mahatma Gandhi are one of the most celebrated quotes under the study of post colonialism. He aimed to modify the curriculum to promote social betterment and welfare, development of the body, mind and soul, and a self-supporting belief. Two distinct modes of education initiated by Gandhi were production of crafts such as weaving, pottery, book binding, as a means of learning and choosing the mother tongue as the medium of knowledge. He further believed that an educational qualification attained from the system of the West would only be a strain on the youth wherein they would eventually fall under the imperial hierarchical structure and still be at the bottom level. His views on religious education stating, “Study of other religions besides one's own will give one a grasp of the rock-bottom unity of all religions and afford a glimpse also of that universal and absolute truth which lies beyond the 'dust of creeds and faiths'”(Young India,1928) also establishes the undeniable importance of religious awareness of historic