What is postcolonial literature and its characteristics?

Postcolonial literature often addresses the problems and consequences of the decolonization of a country, especially questions relating to the political and cultural independence of formerly subjugated people, and themes such as racialism and colonialism. A range of literary theory has evolved around the subject.

What are the characteristics of post colonial criticism?

Postcolonial literary criticism utilizes many critical methods, both literary and nonliterary: deconstruction, New Historicism, Marxism, Feminist theory, anthropology, sociology and popular culture studies–to investigate literature written in English by writers from or in formerly colonized countries.

What are 5 main points about post colonialism?

The postcolonia obsession with history, closely linked with the overarching goal of decolonization, addresses issues such as 1) interrogating the effects of colonialism, especially in terms of cultural alienation; 2) the anti-colonial struggles of the Third World and the rise of nationalism; 3) the creation of mimic …

What are the most common themes in postcolonial literature?

Postcolonial has many common motifs and themes like ‘cultural dominance,’ ‘racism,’ ‘quest for identity,’ ‘inequality’ along with some peculiar presentation styles. Most of the postcolonial writers reflected and demonstrated many thematic concepts which are quite connected with both ‘colonizer’ and ‘colonized’.

What are the main issues of postcolonial literature?

Postcolonialism often also involves the discussion of experiences such as slavery, migration, suppression and resistance, difference, race, gender and place as well as responses to the discourses of imperial Europe such as history, philosophy, anthropology and linguistics.

What are the three phases of post colonialism?

Post-colonial literature can be divided into three phases: adopt, adapt, and adept.

What is post colonialism criticism?

Post-Colonial Criticism is. a research method, a type of textual research, that literary critics use to interpret texts. a genre of discourse employed by literary critics used to share the results of their interpretive efforts.

What is the meaning of Post-colonial?

postcolonialism, the historical period or state of affairs representing the aftermath of Western colonialism; the term can also be used to describe the concurrent project to reclaim and rethink the history and agency of people subordinated under various forms of imperialism.

What is an example of post colonialism?

Example: Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe is considered one of the most significant post-colonial authors. Achebe’s work focused on the colonization of Nigeria, his homeland. In Things Fall Apart, he focuses specifically on the struggles that Nigerians faced as the British expanded their control.

What is post-colonial theory in literature?

Postcolonial theory is a literary theory or critical approach that deals with literature produced in countries that were once, or are now, colonies of other countries. It may also deal with literature written in or by citizens of colonizing countries that takes colonies or their peoples as its subject matter.

Who is the founder of post colonialism?

Cultural critic Edward Said is considered by E. San Juan, Jr. as “the originator and inspiring patron-saint of postcolonial theory and discourse” due to his interpretation of the theory of orientalism explained in his 1978 book, Orientalism.

What are the effects of post colonialism?

Post colonialism gives so many impacts to its colonized countries. Either positive or negative impacts, one of the positive impacts is the cultural mix of the major character with the colonizer so it creates a new culture that is better for them, whereas the example of the negative impacts is fear or trauma.

When was the post-colonial period?

The post-colonial age refers to the period since 1945, when numerous colonies and possessions of major Western countries began to gain independence, in the wake of the end of World War II.

What is the difference between post colonialism and postcolonialism?

‘Post-colonial’ refers to the analysis of colonialism and anti-colonialism. ‘Postcolonial’ is used to indicate the analysing of the current era of International Relations as the postcolonial era.

What is the difference between colonialism and post colonialism?

Colonial literature portrays colonisation as a natural, unproblematic, often ‘correct’ process. Postcolonial literature portrays the problems and consequences of colonisation and decolonization.

Who are the major proponents of postcolonial theory?

Major Figures

Some of the best known names in Postcolonial literature and theory are those of Chinua Achebe, Homi Bhabha, Edward Said, Buchi Emecheta, Frantz Fanon, Jamaica Kincaid, Salman Rushdie, Wole Soyinka, and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak.

Why postcolonial literature is important?

Postcolonial literature also becomes relevant because it is capable of providing a representation of the suppressed as well as the suppresser, and hence offers a representation of conflicting views and ideologies.

What is the aim of postcolonial theory?

Postcolonial theory is a theoretical approach that attempts to disrupt the dominant discourse of colonial power. Put simply, postcolonial theory is about colonialism, emphasizing the effects of colonialism on both the colonized and the colonizer.