critical theory (1 Viewer)

[know_it_all]

can ne1 direct me to sum info on "postcolonialism"
..these theories r so hard to grasp
sumthing basic plz!

 

[glitterfairy]

Colonialism tends to look at the glofication of - guess what - colonialism, usually from the "invader's" perspective. With that in mind, Post-Colonialism tends to look at the effects of colonisation from the colonialised perspective, particularly issues of cultural hybridity, cultural identity (or lack of) and a loss of traditional culture and values.

Does that help?

 

[know_it_all]

um...kinda
sori im really new to this theory...

 

[glitterfairy]

OK.

for example, a lot of new Aboriginal art coyld be looked at from a post-colonial perspective (by the way, should this be in the Eng Adv forum? If you're in Yr 12 and still don't know what post-colonialism is...). My Place by Sally Morgan for example looks at the effects of colonisation on her (Aboriginal) family's loss of heritage, injustice and racism etc.

In Michael Ondaatje's English Patient and In The Skin of a Lion, he has characters that meet with marginalised migrants or racial "inferiors" and we see how they have been mistreated and have lost "their rightful place" or even just basic human rights thanks to colonisation.

Beginning to understand now?

 

[know_it_all]

actually, i need an understanding of this theory for my 4unit piece..
not adv
n im struggling to grasp it
but yeh, thx.,.

 

[glitterfairy]

Ok. Umm... let me think some more...

What exactly don't you get about postcolonialism? What do you want to use it for/context?

That way I can look at specific examples or applications.

 

[know_it_all]

say for instance
i was to write about a war... or politics at present time

ok... more basic..
say for eg, bush
how wud i apply a p/c approach to that?

 

[glitterfairy]

Hmm.

The tricky thing about that is that Bush isn't actually "colonising" anyone. He's fighting a war. Examples of colonisation are things like Captain Cook, White Australia Policy, Stolen Children Generation etc - Rabbit Proof Fence, Pocahontas even.

IF you can find examples of how Bush is "colonising" - eg is he organising American education systems, law systems etc... in a way I imagine they sort of are but hmm... this is a VERY tricky subject. America is sort of "colonising", but from the sidelines, and even then it could be said that he's simply returning liberation rather than uphauling the entire system.

I'm not sure how well current wars and politics related to postcolonialism because everywhere has already been colonised. Unless Australia gets invaded by the French and they make us all start speaking french and impose fines if we don't, and one day someone writes a book about how difficult it is from the Aussie english-speaking perspective - now THAT is post-colonialism.

 

[know_it_all]

alrite
say ...ww1...the battle along the western front
...

no ..actually
tell me wat basic, simple things i need to look for..
like its too complex for me to get

(btw, thanks for all this)

 

[glitterfairy]

The key thing is to look at colonisation - or globalisation - in any way, shape or form, from the "colonised" perspective, that it, the people who have been forced to adopt a new culture and values. Usually it will be in a negative light, eg "We have been forced to learn a new language and are not allowed to pass on traditions to my children".

With me now?

 

[know_it_all]

critical theory..agen

i get the theories...
but how do i write with a certain approach?
for eg, post colonial

 

[ujuphleg]

if you want more information, have a look around the English Extension 1 Forum in Texts and Ways of Thinking. I wouldn't advise posting a question in there, because all the 04ers have deserted it, but have a read and look particularly at the Retreat from the Global Threads.

Post colonialism, in its very very basic sense, is the shift from the traditional way of thinking from "civilising" native peoples to allowing them to express their own cultures.

Eg. Australia, in colonialist theory, believes that Aboriginal people needed to be Christianised and civilised or protected or that they were too stupid to vote. So basically, every indigenous government policy before 1968 was colonialist.

The efforts of reconcilliation, land rights, native title is POST-colonialist and a move away from globalisation towards traditional values.

Does that make more sense?

 

[goldendawn]

The key thing is to look at colonisation - or globalisation - in any way, shape or form, from the "colonised" perspective, that it, the people who have been forced to adopt a new culture and values. Usually it will be in a negative light, eg "We have been forced to learn a new language and are not allowed to pass on traditions to my children".

With me now?

Looks like Lynn did a post-colonialist reading of Heart of Darkness...

 

[glitterfairy]

Lynn's english teacher was OBSESSED with post-colonialism, he also wrote Retreat from the Global module.

But by the way - isn't Heart of Darkness a colonialist text? (If Lynn is right she gets a brownie point!!!)

 

[glitterfairy]

OK: For example, let me apply a post-colonial reading to Ondaatje's novel In The Skin of a Lion.

(this is all being made up on the spot, don't shoot me)

A post-colonial reading of In the Skin of a Lion (henceforther referred to as ITSOAL) reveals the injustice dealt towards marginalised migrants who are "unable to speak the language". They have come to a new world but are forced to give up their culture and language, and must meet in secret. (this is such a LAME essay paragraph).

OK, that sucked. Let me try something different.

EXAMPLES OF WHERE POSTCOLONIALISM CAN BE APPLIED

Itsoal:
-Migrants forced to give up language - "without language we are lost"
-Puppet show as a metaphor for suppressed culture - "the hero was brought before the masses, unable to say a word"
-"You reach people through metaphor" - Alice (as they are unable to speak or write about their condition they must use metaphor to "reach" others. Photographs and Patrick's writings help reach people through metaphor. The ENTIRE BOOK is a metaphor
-Lyrical prose used to romanticise harsh working conditions.
-"I fought tooth and nail for that herringbone!" - shows difference of values between "civilised" and "migrants".
-"Ondaatje becomes the voice of all those suppressed" - some critic
-"I can tell you how many buckets of sand that were used... but the people who actually built the god damn bridge were unspoken of" - Ondaatje, look at historical glossing-over of migrant cheap labour.

My PLACE - Sally Morgan
- "We would never have known our place", place can refer to sense of identity, belonging, cultural history/heritage which was taken away by white settlers
- Sally has to "dig up" history which has been kept from her for safety
- "Tell them they're Indian" - again, saving Sally from ridicule
-"What's wrong with being Aboriginal?" -(is this a real quote? Who cares) - shows third generation unaware of reality of Stolen Generation.

You seem very interested in WW1, however this is a WAR, not an act of colonisation. If you want to look at post colonialism you have to also be able to look at colonialism. Eg Spain invades South America, English colonise North America, England colonises India/Australia/various others, Rome colonises Europe/Gaul...

I think the problem is that you're trying to apply post-colonialism to something which is not colonisation at all - eg in a war, are they colonising? NO! So how can you apply colonialist and postcolonialist readings? You can't!

Hopes this clears things up.

 

[jhakka]

Does this really need another thread?

 

[glitterfairy]

For most people no, in this case... *sigh*

I need to restrain myself. I learn Postcolonialism, Colonialism, Moderinism, Post-Modernism, discourse, meta-fiction etc in Week 1 Term 1 Yr 11 so to come across anyone with no concept of Post-Colonialism is somewhat beyond me.

Maybe I didn't answer the question though.

Try "From a ______ perspective"
or "A Feminist reading is concerned with"
"______ explores/ is evident of Modernist values"

etc etc etc. Basic essay technique - just get it and some fancy words in there

 

[ptitsa]

I used post-colonialism as the framework for my critical..I suggest that after reading a bit about the theory itself, go find a specific theorist and use that theorist in particular. Post-colonialism is huge, and it's much better to be specific in what you are writing about

some books to check out:
- anything by Bill Ashcroft, try The Post Colonial Studies Reader, Post Colonial Studies: The Key Concepts
- in fact, Routledge seem to have cornered the post-colonial theory market..hehe all my texts seem to have been published by them. Try De-scribing Empire: Post Colonialism and Textuality, The Language of Post-Colonial Literatures: An Introduction, Colonialism/Post-Colonialism

I'm pretty sure they can all be found at the State Library.

good luck

 

[know_it_all]

sooo sori
we didnt do this stuf in ext1
n adv...completely skipped this one
sori