INTRODUCTION TO POSTCOLONIALISM!

 

INTRODUCTION TO POST-COLONIALISM:

Answer the following questions on your blog:

1) Look at the first page. What is colonialism - also known as cultural imperialism? 

From the 16th century onwards, European countries effectively got into a race to see how many undiscovered lands they could conquer first, and by ‘undiscovered’ I mean, ‘countries where the indigenous population didn’t have good enough weapons to fight back’. Countries like France, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal and Britain effectively turned into the seagulls from Finding Nemo, zipping around, shouting ‘MINE’ at every new piece of land they discovered. They fought and conquered the native populations, and often fought each other for the rights to those lands. With that came attitudes that are now collectively known as ‘cultural imperialism’ or ‘colonialism’ – the belief that native people were intellectually inferior, and that white colonisers had a moral right to subjugate the local populace as they were ‘civilising’ them: in other words, trying to make them more like Western European society.

2) Now look at the second page. What is postcolonialism? 

Postcolonialism, like postmodernism, refers less to a time period and more to a critiquing of a school of thought that came before it. Postcolonialism exists to question white patriarchal views with a particular reference to how they relate to race.

3) How does Paul Gilroy suggest postcolonialism influences British culture?

Paul Gilroy in his 2005 book Postcolonial Melancholia suggested that Britain had not quite faced up to its colonial past, that the national psyche had not quite come to terms with no longer being a global superpower, and this had resulted in the desire to still subjugate those from different races, particularly immigrants.

4) What is 'othering'?

Othering is the phenomenon whereby we identify something as being different from, or alien to our social identity. If something is ‘other’ it is different to ‘us’; it doesn’t fit well within the confines of our society.

5) What examples of 'othering' are provided by the article?

For populist politicians like Nigel Farage, who used a sense of alienation in British society to his advantage in the 2016 referendum by standing in front of a poster depicting a long queue of primarily non-white immigrants with the slogan "breaking point," an example of othering can be helpful. 

6) What is 'double consciousness'? 

This confusion is referred to as a ‘double consciousness’ whereby people struggle to reconcile two nationalities or identities. First used in 1897 by the Black American author, W.E.B. Dubois, double consciousness was used by him to describe the difficulty in reconciling his African heritage with growing up in white America; the awkward feeling of existing in both worlds, but not fully belonging to either.

7) What are 'racial hierarchies'?

The idea of racial hierarchies: the idea that some races are superior to other ones. In Western culture, people who promote these ideas are usually advocating for white supremacy. However, perceptions of different ethnic groups can change over time.

8) What examples from recent media products challenge the idea of racial hierarchies? 

There are numerous media texts that challenge these ideas of racial hierarchies by putting people in minority groups in positions of authority. Some choose to examine the implications of being BAME in these positions, such as Brooklyn Nine-

Nine’s ‘Moo Moo’ episode from its fourth season, where Lt. Terry Jeffords is racially profiled by another cop. Some shows choose to largely ignore the character’s ethnicity and its impact on their role, such as Nick Fury’s role as director of SHIELD in the Marvel films, striving for a time when a person’s ethnicity doesn’t make a difference to anyone.